Chapter Text
Tim had thought long and hard about this before he'd actually done anything. About the best way to do this. In the end, he'd decided to do it as Timothy Drake-Wayne and not Red Robin.
Bruce was quick on the uptake, Tim was sure he would get the hint if Tim acted as if Bruce was Brucie Wayne, Gotham's Beloved Prince. And Timothy would just have to play the role of the unstable, desperate kid who wanted his father back.
He'd considered doing it as Red Robin. But in the off-chance that this Ghost King entity wasn't all knowing, then he didn't want to put their identities at risk. And while it wasn't strange for a vigilante to go looking for a missing civilian, Tim was hoping this entity would be less likely to prod Tim if they thought he was just some kid that had cracked from their grief than a vigilante that had been looking into the adverse effects of the Omegan Beam that had hit Batman for months.
His gamble honestly might not even pay off, but it was one of the only thing's Tim could think to do. And honestly, the thought of playing the role of someone that couldn't handle their grief set a bitter taste in Tim's mouth, especially with how he'd been treated by his colleagues, but clearly Tim seemed the part even when he wasn't acting, so this should be a cinch, right?
Tim stared hard at the floors of one of the abandoned catacombs in France. Having already been down here during his journey and not wanting to return to Gotham just yet. He'd had candles laid out in a circle, with white chalk having been used to carve symbols into the floor. One by one, Tim lit the candles in the circle. He began the ritual, reading the written words he'd found in an abandoned cave in Egypt. Well, of what he could make out of the words. It all honestly mostly seemed like nothing but gibberish to Tim and he wasn't even entirely sure he was saying everything right, but he had to give it a try.
But by the end of it, nothing happened. Just a strong breeze blowing through the catacombs causing the flames to go out. Tim bit his lip in frustration, turning the flashlight in his hands to try and more closely inspect the words he'd hastily copied in his travels. He thinks he said everything right? Not that he was even sure what he had been saying, if what he'd said had even been words at all. He could try again, but the likelihood of the chances of that working were practically slim-to-none.
Though, with a bright flash of eerie green light, Tim's initial assumption of failure was quickly proven wrong. The candles began to rapidly reignite with toxic-green flame. The chalk beginning to glow. A green mist spread up from the circle, twirling around, beginning to form a dark green tornado in the center. The air around Tim swayed, causing his hair to whip across his face, getting into his eyes.
A black figure appeared to form in the middle of the swirling mist, the strange substance compacting and forming into a solid shape. The air stilling as a figure floated above the chalked, glowing, circle. Tim blinked, not sure what he was expecting, but this hadn't been it. The figure floating above him almost seemed to look like a human that was playing scary rather than some actual dark entity, but the feeling of being hunted didn't allow Tim to relax. Even if his first assessment based off appearance alone didn't unsettle him.
The truth was, Tim didn't see any sort of face. Or any exposed skin for that matter. Instead what he saw was a figure in a black jump-suit of some sort with silver-highlights. Thick boots covered the beings feet, with spiked ends on the sole of the boot. Black gloves had silver fake-claws attached. A hood was pulled up, obscuring any hair or ears, while a black doctor's plague mask, and gas mask sat combined together on the being's face. The figure was floating, and Tim couldn't even make out any eyes behind the strange mask. For the "eye-holes" were covered with black glass.
It was very much something Tim would expect of someone trying to play the scary act. It didn't really give off the vibe of a King. Even if Tim knew the appearance wasn't actually scary, that couldn't stop the shiver of fear that went through him. Almost as if he was a small prey animal about to be swallowed whole. The truth was, even though Tim knew Gretta, he knew nothing about what the culture of ghosts themselves would be. Honestly, Tim wasn't even sure Gretta would know what the culture for ghosts would be considering she didn't exactly spend her free time around ghosts, as far as Tim was aware. So he couldn't really use what he knew about her as a basis for what to expect. He was going into this blind.
"Is there a reason you've called for me, mortal?" The being across from him spoke, it's voice distorted and echoing around him. If Tim couldn't actively see the being in front of him, he never would have even known where the voice was coming from.
"I-I...." Tim stuttered, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. He was a goddamn vigilante! He had no reason to be intimidated. Though, it would definitely help towards his scared and desperate civilian act. "I wanted to make a deal."
"A deal? One you felt necessary to call the Ghost King for?" The voice that spoke, while strange and broken, didn't sound particularly happy. Tim could still read the emotions from it very well, and the feeling he was getting from the tone used was that the being in the circle wasn't particularly pleased. Though, their posture was relaxed, their words and body language at war with each other. Tim ignored it.
"Yes." Tim affirmed. "I'm certain my adopted father, Bruce Wayne is lost in time. And I want his assured safe and healthy return to this time." The being floating beside him didn't question Tim's words. How he would even come to such a bizarre conclusion. The being said nothing. Instead, silently watching. Strengthening his resolve, Tim grabbed a contract he'd written out, and he double checked and rechecked to make sure there were no loopholes, before turning back to the ghost watching him. "I'm willing to offer my immortal soul in exchange--"
"I've no need for your soul." The Ghost King cut him off. "For all eventually become my subjects in the end." The Ghost King waved one of their clawed hands in the air, as if to physically dismiss Tim's suggestion. Which...was a problem. As far as he was aware, that was typically the type of thing tyrannical evil entities enjoyed. Tim hadn't actually prepared anything as back-up. Wasn't the Ghost King known for being like Darkseid, but worse? What could such a being want from Tim? Was there anything Tim could offer? "However, there is something else I would take as payment."
"What else could you want?" Tim questioned sharply. The Ghost King hummed, tapping one of their clawed hands against their mutated mask. Tim felt to the equivalent of the food on the plate a little kid was playing with. They held out a hand, never breaching the circle and spoke a request that Tim never would have considered in a million years.
"How about you become my bride? You'd need not leave your place in the living world and can continue on as normal. However, you would need to come with me to the Infinite Realms to seal the marriage." The King proposed. Tim couldn't decide if the being in front of him was fucking with him or not. If anything, it seemed like Tim was getting more out of this than anything, if all that was required was for him to attend a small wedding and be able to return to the living world. However, if he did become a ghost when he passed on, that would also mean he was tying himself to a known tyrant.
.....but Bruce was still lost in the time stream. And once he finally caught up with the right timeline, all the life on Earth would be wiped out. That isn't even considering the potential backlash it could hold on other numerous planets or the galaxy. This wasn't just about saving Bruce. This was also about preventing a Doomsday. And hadn't Tim been planning on tying himself to the entity anyway?
"...that's all that would be required of me? Just to attend a wedding? Nothing else? I would return home right afterward?" Tim reiterated. "And you wouldn't be able to force me to do anything as your....bride, would you?" If Bride's the title the King wished to use, then Tim would do the same.
"No. Just the wedding, nothing else. And then I would return you to your world. As all this deal would entail is you assuming the title of The Ghost King's Bride, no, I could not force you into anything." The King paused before laughing. "Though, it's a little strange to have such concerns considering the first thing you offered me was your immortal soul. Seems a little late for such concerns."
Tim couldn't tell if the King's last words had a double meaning or not, and didn't really wish to prod further on the subject. If it was what the entity would agree to in order to get Bruce back, then that is just what Tim would need to do.
"Fine. But I want to write that down as a written contract." Tim muttered. The entity still heard him, letting out a loud laugh at the words.
"Yes, you're the current acting CEO of Wayne enterprises, no? I suppose a businessman would wish to cover their tracks." The King remarked. So the being did have knowledge of the active living world. Looks like doing this as Tim Drake and not Red Robin had been the best call. Especially considering what was going to be Tim's next request--
"And I want to come with you. When you're saving Bruce, so that way I can make sure he's alright. And upon our return, nothing should change in this current Timeline. Everything being as safe and as peaceful as it normally is. No one else will be harmed." Tim also added on. Making sure to make it clear. The effects of the Omegan Beams would need to be taken care of.
The entity in front of him tilted his head to the side, pondering.
"...you wish to come along? It won't be such an easy task, the energy used to transport your adoptive father back in time would need to be cleaned up first. We wouldn't be able to go straight to him, unless there would be harm brought on to this world." The being in front of Tim gestured around the air as if to make their point more clear. So they were aware of the effects the Omegan Beams had, clearly. Good, Tim wouldn't have to run the risk of explaining it.
"Yes. I need to make sure he's safe." Tim nodded. The being in front of him was quiet as they floated in the air, before they eventually sighed.
"Alright then, if that's what you want. But know it won't be easy. Go grab what you need to make the contract." The Ghost King shrugged, as if they didn't really care what happened either way. Luckily, while Tim didn't have an entire other contract as back up, he had brought spare pieces of paper and a pen just in case the King had more requests that would need to be worked around or if he hadn't initially agreed to Tim's first suggestion.
It was quiet as Tim worked, the entity across from him not saying anything. Just waiting for Tim to finish.
"When would the wedding take place?" Tim questioned, pausing as he had gotten to that part of the contract.
"Perhaps a week after we get your adoptive father back? That way you'll have time to get anything that you need to in order. The wedding will likely take the whole day." The being across from Tim nodded to themselves, as if confirming the thought. Tim immediately went back to working on the contract. That'll give him enough time to deal with Ra's then.
Once Tim was done, he signed his own name at the bottom before sliding it over to the entity in the circle, not daring to directly stick his hand in the circle and hand it to him. Tim had also added his own clause that the King was not allowed to harm Tim or Bruce for that matter. Considering the laugh the being gave out while reading it over, they'd noticed, but never commented. Instead signing the end of the contract.
It was then that the circle stopped glowing and the candles went out. Tim was only aware that the King was still across from him because of his flashlight.
The entity plopped onto the ground with a very solid thud. Something Tim hadn't considered as a possibility. Before the being walked over, the sound of they're footsteps racking up Tim's anxiety, even though he knew he added a clause to make sure that the entity in front of him couldn't harm him.
And then they handed over the contract to Tim.
"I would suggest getting anything you may forget about in order tonight. Tomorrow I'll come and pick you up." The being stated.
"I don't know if my fellow hotel users will appreciate the ghostly presence." Tim didn't state that while the King dressed like someone trying to play scary, they also looked like a borderline terrorist or one of the many rogues that were known to exist across the globe.
"I can assure you, I have methods of blending in." And then with a rush of green light and dark mist, the King was gone. And Tim was left alone. Privately, he wondered if he had made some type of mistake.