GhostBat

BatGhost is the slash ship between Bruce Wayne and Ghost-Maker from the DC Comics fandom.

Teenage Years
In Dublin, Bruce asks an expert knife thrower, Tommy Tivane, to be his teacher. Tommy says that Bruce must think he's something, when someone says that Bruce really does. Bruce recognizes Ghost-Maker, who calls him a spoiled brat who cries himself to sleep over his dead parents. He beat Bruce there, and says he should find his own master. Bruce attacks and says that he swore to take him out for what he did to their master in Morocco. Ghost-Maker says that Bruce needs to stop living in the past, and think of the present, or he's never going to be able to hit him. He says that Bruce is going to have to beat him if he wants the teacher, and Bruce says to just shut up and fight him.

In the Gobi Desert, Bruce senses Ghost-Maker coming near, and tells him he can't fight him tonight. Ghost-Maker says that's not how it works, but Bruce says he'll fight him in the morning. Ghost-Maker sits beside him, and says he isn't normally like this. Bruce says that he almost sounds concerned, but Ghost-Maker says he doesn't feel things like that. He just wanted to break a few of Bruce's bones before moving onto his next teacher, but Bruce has sucked the fun out of that. Bruce says it's the anniversary of when his parents died, and tells Ghost-Maker to leave him to train. Ghost-Maker says he's not training, but brooding, and that the point of the exercise is to be conscious of every grain of sand. Bruce realizes that Ghost-Maker already trained with the Desert Kings and they slip into silence. Ghost-Maker says he's sorry, and Bruce says that Ghost-Maker doesn't feel like that, but Ghost-Maker says that's not what he's sorry for. He thinks Bruce is going to fail, and it's going to be because his emotions make him vulnerable. He could have killed Bruce at any moment right then, and sees his caring as a weakness. Bruce says that it doesn't and the two proceed to fight.

Ghost Stories
Bruce enters the Smile Bar, only to find every one of the patrons dead. Barbara questions how, when Bruce finds Ghost-Maker's symbol. He says that it was a message and tells Barbara to go dark. She tells him not to cut her out, but he tells her this is personal.

Ghost-Maker is about to kill Clownhunter, when Batman shows up and punches him in the face. Bruce says that they had an agreement, that Gotham was his city, but Ghost-Maker just tells him to do his job then. He thinks Gotham deserves better as he tries to kill Clownhunter, but Bruce won't let him do so. Ghost-Maker suggests they settle this like they did when they were younger, but Bruce won't play a game for the kids life. Ghost-Maker wasn't talking about the kid, but Gotham.

The two fight as Barbara chimes in, but can't get a look at Ghost-Maker. She asks who he is, and Bruce says that he's Ghost-Maker, and he shouldn't be here. Ghost-Maker brings up that Bruce used to make fun of his name, and needing a mask and pseudonym to fight crime. He asks how long it took him to start calling himself Batman, and Barbara asks what he's saying. Bruce says he's still mad when Bruce made fun of his name when they were 15, and even more so that Bruce has beat him in every fight since they were twenty. Ghost-Maker says that he's only been in Gotham for twelve hours, and already taken out several criminals before even getting off his plane. He proceeds to chase down Clownhunter, but Bruce stops him before he gets the chance. Ghost-Maker thinks he needs to shock Bruce into realizing that he's failing, and is going to kill Clownhunter just to make him. Bruce says Ghost-Maker is a psychopath, and Ghost-Maker says that's exactly why he's better than him.

Moments
Batman #102
 * Ghost-Maker says he didn't know Bruce when he first came to Gotham.
 * Ghost-Maker believes Bruce should burn Gotham to the ground and start over.
 * Ghost-Maker says he's better than Batman and here to prove it.

Fanon
BatGhost is considered a rare pair among Batman/DC Comics fans. This is due to Ghost-Maker only being around for less than a year, which means that he hasn't caught on in comic fandom yet. The small fandom for the pairing generally joke that the two are exes, given their closeness, but also how often the give petty insults to each other. A common comparison is Ghost-Maker being Bruce's "anime rival", given how they mirror similar pairings.

There are a total of six fics split between two tags, on AO3.

Fandom
TUMBLR