#squillaetcirenses

One thing was clear as day, and it was that you would never return to your hometown; not until you made a name for yourself. Not because your parents wouldn’t welcome you back. They would. Even if you didn’t have a fancy job. They loved you no matter what.

But you didn’t love yourself.

You constantly tried to push yourself too hard. You were never enough, never good enough. Your hometown was simple, made up of ordinary people. You were considered a “town genius.” Everyone believed that you’d be the one who made it out and never looked back.

That was the plan.

Until reality came and slapped you in the face like the delusional bitch you were. And maybe you did need the reality check. Everyone needs to be knocked off their high horse once in a while, otherwise they get cocky.

So minimum wage it was.

Which, of course, meant a shitty apartment in the side of the city that rated 8.8 out of 10 on Gotham’s “NOT safe to live” scale. A public transportation card sticky from overuse; run-down clothes and shoes worn thin from running to your job because you didn’t have enough money left on your card for a metro ticket.

You weren’t suffering.

You were living.

You were barely fucking living.

Until came a day you would never forget.

You had heard about the “Bat Family” before; everyone had. You were lucky enough to never meet them in person, though. You kept your head low and tried to become one with the shadows. Nobody picked on you since you moved here.

There was one occurrence when someone stole from you, but you deserved it. You were still a student and had left your bag hanging outside the bathroom stall because you didn’t want to put it on the dirty floor. So you practically signed your own sentence with that one.

And of course, as written in the big book of Gotham, your bag got stolen.

Lucky for you — and unlucky for the person who stole it — you were particularly fucking broke at the moment, so the most valuable item inside was a Hershey’s chocolate bar you got on discount because it was about to expire.

You were lucky enough to have your phone and wallet on you. You always loved jackets with lots of pockets, and as Gotham had it, it was one of those days when a jacket was necessary. (Let’s be honest, every day in Gotham is a jacket day. God-awful weather.)

But getting your off-brand bag stolen was nothing compared to what came after.

At the time, you believed that was traumatizing.

Oh boy, you were so wrong.

You were halfway done with university. Two more years and you would graduate. Your goal was still within reach. But as fate had it, you were late, and the last metro had already departed for the night. You knew you should have stopped studying earlier. You knew the risk of walking home alone. You were better than this. But you got lost in your notes and time flew by. You were just one minute late, but Gotham had no mercy. So you put on a brave face and shamefully walked home through the night.

At first, you felt watched. Then came the footsteps. Same rhythm as yours. Following. You tried crossing to the other side of the street, turning at the next corner even when it wasn’t your route. But nothing worked.

You were prey desperately trying to escape while the predator patiently waited for you to tire yourself out.

You shouldn’t have been surprised when you got jumped. But you were anyway. Grabbed and thrown into a van. Hands instantly tied behind your back and a metallic-smelling bag pulled over your head.

They didn’t want ransom. You had no money, which they quickly realized.

You were bait for the Big Bat.

An offering.

Eventually, someone did come and save you. Made a bloody mess while getting you out. You had never seen a fistfight up close before. Never smelled the metallic scent of blood so clearly in the air.

You felt vivid.

Later, you found out it was the adrenaline. A rush so sweet, so exciting, it made you feel alive - made you feel like you were living instead of barely fucking surviving.

You got out easy. Safe.

No real harm done to you. Your hands hurt a little where the ropes had dug into your skin, leaving it red and irritated, but it would heal in no time. It wouldn’t leave behind a reminder of that day.

Maybe it should have.

Maybe you were meant to remember this day - this event in your life that made you feel something other than “wasted potential.”

So you took it upon yourself and decided to chase that adrenaline-drenched state as best as you could.

Maybe this was your way of coping with the trauma of getting kidnapped. Maybe you were going fucking insane. But goddamn, you would’ve given up one of your kidneys for an experience like that again. So you moved on to the stupidest things you could find.

It started easy with rock climbing. Felt like shit. You were fucking weak. Couldn’t even pull yourself up properly, even if your life depended on it.

You saved up and went skydiving. You barely ate for a whole week just to afford the most mid experience imaginable.

No adrenaline rush. No dopamine boost.

Clearly, something was missing. Which you later realized was danger. But not the danger of falling out of the sky or down a rock wall.

No.

You needed your life to genuinely be at risk.

You needed control.

The control of being able to save your own life and fight for yourself. That’s what you needed.

That’s what you were missing.

You needed to get your shit together and have control over something.

Since you had no control over your education, your job, or your living conditions, you had to find a way to make sure there was at least one part of your life where you were in charge.

ᴀ/ɴ: ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴜʏꜱ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ɪᴛ! ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ! ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴄʀɪᴛɪᴄɪꜱᴍ ᴡᴇʟʟ ;) ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴏʀʀʏ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ'ꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ! ❤️

They were heroes and vigilantes, for God's sake. None of them were in their right minds.

So he needed at least one person who wasn't involved in the vigilante business. Even Alfred was out of the picture, considering he was far too close to the Big Bat himself.

In his moment of panic, however, Jason had blurted out that he wanted to bring someone along. It had been his way of making sure you didn't get the wrong idea.

And the moment he saw relief on your face, his fear of hurting your feelings vanished.

He couldn't have dealt with seeing you sad because he didn't want to go on a date with you.

Hell, he probably would've never visited the bookstore again if that had happened. But seeing you beam at him when he mentioned bringing someone else had brought him peace of mind.

That was, until he realized he had absolutely no idea who to bring.

He thought about Dick.

But that charismatic idiot would immediately get the wrong idea and start making fun of him for not being brave enough to go on a date with you alone.

But it wasn't even a date.

He would tell him that.

Which would only result in even more annoying suggestions and jokes.

So Dick was out.

He could bring Roy.

It had been a while since they had last seen each other. Roy had apparently been busy with some case, and the two of them had only spoken over the phone a handful of times.

Besides, Roy constantly spammed him with memes, so based solely on their shared interests, he would probably get along with you just fine.

Unfortunately, Roy, just like Dick, would probably make the wrong assumption, and the nice outdoor movie night would quickly turn into a game of Let's Fuck With Jason.

Which left him with only one option.

— ✦ —

"A dog?" you asked in disbelief. "Your friend is a dog?"

"Is that your way of saying you don't like dogs?" Jason asked.

"No! It's my way of saying that you don't need a ticket for a dog," you deadpanned. "So I still have two more tickets that won't be used."

At that, Jason leaned down and patted the dog's head.

"He counts as a person," he simply shrugged.

"Well, he better not eat my popcorn," you stated before approaching the two of them. "What's his name anyway?"

"His name is Ace." Jason looked at you. "You can pet him if you'd like."

You turned toward the dog and offered him your hand to sniff. Ace, who was a German Shepherd, sniffed your fingers and, apparently approving of you, lowered his head so you could pet him.

You reached behind his ears and scratched.

"I hope it's not a problem that I brought him along." Jason crouched down to adjust Ace's collar. "The others already had plans, so nobody could make it." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I promised I'd bring someone, so I had no other choice but to bring him."

You stopped scratching Ace's ears, and for a second he looked genuinely offended by the loss of attention, only to receive pets from Jason instead.

"It's alright," you said softly. "I like dogs. I was just surprised, that's all."

For a second, neither of you spoke.

People kept streaming toward the outdoor cinema. The movie would start soon, and you still had to find the perfect place to lay down your blanket.

Yet neither of you felt the need to rush inside.

The laughter of a group of teenagers brought you back to reality.

"But I was serious about the popcorn," you stated firmly.

Jason laughed.

"Don't worry. We'll buy him his own."

At that, both of you chuckled and finally headed inside.

You had bought enough popcorn for an entire family, ensuring nobody would be left snackless.

With practiced precision, you found the perfect spot for the blanket. Jason joked that this clearly wasn't your first time at an outdoor cinema, considering how easily you navigated the crowd.

You explained that you had loved both movies and the outdoors ever since you were a kid, so it wasn't surprising that combining the two had become one of your favorite things.

You spread out the blanket while Jason prepared a bowl of water for Ace.

Then you settled down.

For a moment, you noticed some hesitation on Jason's face as he prepared to sit beside you.

Only for it to vanish the second Ace decided to snuggle up next to you instead, leaving Jason to sit beside him.

And so there you were.

Sitting on a blanket with Jason, with Ace stretched out between the two of you.

"He seems to like you," Jason said while absentmindedly scratching Ace's back.

"He's a good judge of character," you replied proudly, scratching behind Ace's ears.

You continued your light conversation about dogs and animals until the movie finally started.

Throughout the movie, the two of you snacked on your popcorn. You even offered some to Ace, who happily munched on a few pieces. You made sure not to give him too much. Not because you were greedy, but because you didn't want him to end up with stomach issues.

As the night grew colder and a chilly breeze swept through the outdoor cinema, Jason kindly offered you his jacket.

He certainly was a gentleman.

However, you had no idea how to feel about that.

It was sweet of him, and you accepted it with a smile, but you worried the gesture might imply something more than two friends having a movie night.

So you made sure to keep a healthy distance between the two of you.

Jason didn't seem to mind.

Besides, you didn't think he saw this as a date. He had made that perfectly clear when he'd insisted on bringing someone else along. Clearly, he hadn't wanted to be alone with you the way people usually were on dates.

Yet somehow, even without trying, the evening had become far more romantic than you'd realized.

The moon hung high above you.

The two of you sat on a blanket, munching on popcorn while watching an undeniably romantic movie.

Both of you were petting Ace, and more than once your hands brushed against each other while scratching his fur.

Each time, you both apologized and quickly turned your attention back to the movie.

Back to watching a romantic movie.

Where people kissed.

Which made concentrating rather difficult.

Still, by the end, a few tears had escaped your eyes.

You quickly wiped them away before Jason could notice.

"So, what did you think?" you asked, turning toward him.

"It was nice," he said after thinking for a moment.

"Just nice? Oh God, right, I forgot. You're a book snob." You nudged him with your shoulder. "Of course you wouldn't enjoy the movie adaptation of your favorite book."

"Hey! I didn't say I didn't enjoy it!" he nudged you back. "It's just not the same experience."

"Or maybe you just don't watch enough movies to appreciate a good one," you pointed out. "But I'll fix that."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Hell yeah!"

The two of you burst out laughing, waking up the sleeping Ace.

The dog stood up and circled the two of you before eventually nudging Jason's leg with his nose.

"It seems even Ace didn't like it and wants to go," you teased. "I can't put up with you book nerds."

Jason offered to walk you home, and you gladly accepted. It was safer with him and Ace by your side. Once you reached your apartment building, the two of you said your goodbyes.

Jason thanked you for inviting him and even admitted that he had actually enjoyed the movie. Overall, he seemed genuinely grateful that you'd thought of him.

Then you headed upstairs, your mind filled with memories from the evening rather than the disaster at the club.

Finally, you were going to have a peaceful night.

Jason's POV:

After saying goodbye, Jason and Ace lingered outside your building for another minute. Even if he couldn't see you enter your apartment, he wanted to make sure you got home safely.

He rubbed Ace's head, praising him for being such a good boy all night.

Turning away, he began walking home when his phone pinged.

A new message from you.

It was a list of movies.

Some were book adaptations.

Others were listed as absolute classics.

And at the end was a threatening message.

'Watch all of these or we can't be friends anymore.'

Jason couldn't help but smile at his phone.

He was about to put it away when another message popped up.

'Sorry I stole your jacket. I'll give it back to you at the bookstore! Good night.'

With a small smile still on his face, he sent a quick good night in return and continued walking home.

ᴀ/ɴ: ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴊᴀꜱᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴄʜᴇʀɪꜱʜ ɪᴛ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ɪᴛ ʟᴀꜱᴛꜱ. ᴡʜᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡꜱ? ɪᴛ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ʙɪᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ɪᴅɪᴏᴛꜱ ɢᴇᴛ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɢᴏᴇꜱ ʜᴏʀʀɪʙʟʏ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ. ᴍᴜʜᴀʜᴀʜᴀ! 😈💔

𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

♡ 𝕋𝕒𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 ♡

@cookiepersona, @overrated-romance, @fireriyu, @s0fia-14, @waytotiger13, @tomkaulitzlovrr

Usually, most customers who came into the bookstore already knew what they wanted to purchase. Many had even ordered their books online and were only stopping by to pick up their packages. Others had a general idea of what they liked, so they headed straight for their favorite section and browsed on their own.

Then there were the rare customers who had absolutely no idea what they wanted.

Those were your favorites.

As a bookstore employee, it became your mission to guide them on their quest to find something worth reading.

This was one of those quests.

A young blonde woman had walked into the store about an hour earlier. She had wandered through nearly every section but had come up empty-handed. At first, you gave her space. Most people preferred browsing on their own. If they needed help, they'd eventually come find you.

This time, however, you decided to approach her first.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but it looks like you might be searching for something we don't have," you said, interrupting her search. "If you'd like, I can look it up on the computer."

"That's not necessary, thank you," she replied with a smile. "Actually, I'm just looking around."

"That you have," you smiled back at her.

"Yeah, I know. I've been here for quite a while now." She rubbed the back of her neck. "If you wanna kick me out, that's alright. I'd understand."

"What? No! Not at all. Nothing like that," you chuckled. "I just assumed you were struggling, so I came over to help. It is my job, after all."

That earned another chuckle from her.

"Well, if you're offering help..." she began. "Can I be weird and ask for a recommendation?"

"Sure, although I make no promises," you replied. "We don't accept returns just because you didn't like the book I picked out."

"That's such a weird policy," she smirked.

You couldn't help but laugh at her sly reply.

"Alright, alright! What kind of books do you usually like?"

"Perhaps romance?" she shrugged.

"Good choice," you complimented. "Any particular type?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... what kind of romance? Dark romance, fantasy, historical..." you listed.

"Honestly, I don't really have a preference."

"Alright, then how about a type of love interest?" you asked.

"Are you asking if I'm straight?" she tilted her head. "Wait... are you asking me out?!" she gasped dramatically.

"NO! No, I'm not," you laughed awkwardly. "Not that you aren't pretty or anything..." you quickly added, trying to save yourself. "I'm just asking so I know what kind of romance book to recommend!"

"Oh!" She smiled awkwardly. "Well... I'm a sucker for masked men."

"Girl... don't we all."

The two of you burst into laughter.

While she was still chuckling, you turned toward the nearby shelf and pulled out a book.

"Good thing we're already in the romance section," you said, handing it to her. "This one's a bit darker, but it's really popular."

"It has a mysterious masked man with serious stalker vibes..." you continued. "...and a few spicy scenes."

"Is that something you're into?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Umm... I guess?" you answered, your voice uncertain.

"Sorry if that made you uncomfortable." She raised her hands in surrender. "I just assumed you probably liked that kind of thing since you talked about it with so much enthusiasm."

"Oh, don't worry." You chuckled. "Honestly, I don't really have a preference in that department. I'm pretty open-minded." You shrugged. "Besides, it's kind of my job as a bookseller to sell you a book."

That made her lower her hands and laugh along with you.

"I'm glad I didn't offend you," she said with obvious relief. "I'm starting to like you. So you'll probably be seeing a lot more of me around here."

"Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment to my sales skills."

"Yeah, that's definitely the only reason I said it," she replied sarcastically. "Not because you walked up to me and immediately asked what kind of men I like."

"Oh, believe me," you grinned. "Next time I'm asking about your entire love life so I can find the perfect book for you."

"Oof..." she winced. "Then it'd just be a blank book."

Oh.

She was single.

That got you thinking.

She'd been nice so far. Funny, even. She had just the right amount of wit, she was gorgeous, and she seemed to enjoy romance books.

Those were all qualities that reminded you of someone else.

A dark-haired, tired-eyed giant.

Maybe they'd get along.

As far as you knew, Jason was single too. He had never mentioned having a girlfriend.

Without really thinking about it, your brain had already filed him under single and available.

She liked masked men.

Jason wasn't masked.

But he certainly had the same mysterious, brooding energy.

...

Wait.

Maybe she'd actually be a perfect match for him.

If you played your cards right, you could be the perfect wingwoman.

After all... wasn't that what friends were for?

"If you don't mind me asking, since you seem to like me so much..." you said. "What's your name?"

"It's Stephanie, but everyone just calls me Steph."

"It's nice to meet you, Steph." You held out your hand, and she shook it before you introduced yourself as well.

"Well, now that you know my name, you'll have to come back," you joked.

"Oh, definitely." She beamed. "And thank you for the recommendation."

"I'm glad I could help." You smiled back at her. "But I have to remind you—no returns."

"Yeah, yeah. The weird policy." She waved dismissively.

"See you soon?" you asked hopefully.

"Sure!" she answered brightly. "But... don't I have to pay first?"

"Oh, fuck, right!" You clapped a hand over your mouth. "Sorry! Yeah... please pay first. And don't run away with it."

You pointed her toward the register, where she paid for the book before saying goodbye.

You genuinely hoped she'd keep her word and come back.

It would be even better if she happened to visit while Jason was around. Otherwise, your matchmaking mission might prove a little difficult.

But you weren't about to give up.

It had only just begun.

Just like your friendship with Jason.

You wanted to be a good friend. And if that meant helping him find a girlfriend...

Well, maybe that would do him some good.

Or at least, you hoped so.

ᴀ/ɴ: ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴜʏꜱ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ! ɪᴛ ꜱᴇᴇᴍꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜰɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴜᴘ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ. ɴᴇᴡ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱʜɪᴘꜱ. ꜱᴏꜰᴛ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀ ꜱʜᴀᴍᴇ ɪꜰ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴀᴛ. ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪꜱᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴘʟᴀʏ ɴɪᴄᴇ. 😈 💔

𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

♡ 𝕋𝕒𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 ♡

@cookiepersona, @overrated-romance, @fireriyu, @s0fia-14, @waytotiger13, @tomkaulitzlovrr

You didn’t pay much attention to your own appearance. You woke up, got dressed in whatever you found in your closet that was weather-appropriate, and made your way to work. One glance in the mirror to make sure you were still breathing, and that was it.

So you didn’t really know what you looked like, nor did you care much.

But if you had to guess, you probably looked just like him.

Same exhausted face. Same baggy eyes. No emotion behind them, just a worn-out mask stretched over something that used to be human.

He came in late.

Always late.

Your bookstore was an unusual place, still open long after the sun went down. The owner called it a “business strategy.” Said he wanted to attract students who stayed up late.

In your opinion, it was “a robbery waiting to happen.”

Still, it came in handy for your nightly activities since it allowed you to take the afternoon shift. So maybe you shouldn’t have been surprised to see a young guy wandering in so late at night. Maybe he really was a student, and the business strategy had worked.

Or maybe he was just another lost soul.

A ghost. A zombie. The former shell of something that could’ve been but never was.

So you memorized every little detail about him you could.

Not because you wanted to be creepy. You just sort of gravitated toward him. Like a magnet finding its matching pull. You often watched him from the corner of your eye. He probably thought you suspected him of stealing, which, in Gotham, wouldn’t have been the first time.

You tried to tone it down.

One night, he approached the register with a true crime book in hand.

Said nothing.

Why would he?

A few days later, he came back carrying the exact same book.

Weird.

Same title. Same cover. Same everything.

Then a few more days passed.

Third time.

“What?” the guy asked, confused.

“Hm?” you hummed, looking up from scanning the book.

“You said something.”

“Did I?”

“Yes, you did,” he replied accusingly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...” you apologized quickly.

Shit.

You weren’t supposed to say that out loud. It was just a thought that had accidentally slipped past your lips, and now you looked like a complete idiot.

You had to recover from this somehow, or your little game of studying this guy until there was nothing left undiscovered would be over.

“I was just commenting on how this is your third time purchasing the same book,” you admitted while internally cringing.

“It is?”

“Yeah! Which is not weird at all. I mean, you could be buying it for your family.” You laughed awkwardly. “Which raises the question of how big your family is and whether we should order more copies.”

You were hoping to salvage the situation.

But before you could count it as a victory, your mouth betrayed you again.

“Or you might have some weird fetish where you eat books as a midnight snack.” You paused. “Which is none of my business. And honestly a waste of money since cereal is probably cheaper than books.”

You let out a strange chuckle that got caught in your throat and turned into more of a cough.

To your disbelief, it pulled the faintest smile from him.

If you hadn’t been lowkey stalking him like a creep for the past week, you probably wouldn’t have noticed it.

But you did.

You creepy little gremlin.

You saw how the corner of his lips twitched upward into a tiny one-sided smirk. Barely there. Almost invisible to the naked eye.

“I don’t like the crunchy texture of cereal,” he replied dryly. “I prefer paper. More bland.”

A pause.

“But I do leave the covers behind. Too hard to digest.”

ᴀ/ɴ: ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ɪ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴛᴀʏ ᴛʀᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴊᴀꜱᴏɴ'ꜱ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ. ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴘᴏᴛ ᴀɴʏ ᴍɪꜱᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ! ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ꜰᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ! ❤️

You had known from the beginning that Black Mask was behind the new drug. You also knew he had gone to great lengths to stay anonymous.

Why?

Because no sane person would knowingly buy drugs from Black Mask. So he came up with a surprisingly effective marketing strategy.

He gave influencers the drug and instructed them to hand it out to their followers. The drug spread through the streets like wildfire.

It became a trend.

But there was still one thing bothering you.

Why was he giving it away for free?

After all, like any other business, a drug empire had to be profitable. Giving it away for free earned him neither money nor loyalty. Then there was the overdose problem.

The drug made it incredibly easy for people to overdose, and many would likely end up dead.

He was killing his own customers. It made no sense.

Businesses that sold condoms were technically preventing future generations of customers as well. Yet they still made money. That was the difference.

Money.

Black Mask's plan, however, didn't seem to make him a single dime.

So why would he do it?

That was the question you had spent the past month trying to answer. You had a gut feeling there was something much bigger hiding behind the façade.

The parties. The influencers. The drug. They all felt like a smokescreen. A mask hiding the real monster pulling the strings.

And that was who you wanted to find.

Who you wanted to defeat.

Who you needed to stop.

Unfortunately, that meant throwing away everything you had spent the past month rebuilding.

A month of getting your life back on track. Making friends. Finding some semblance of normalcy.

All of it had to be thrown out the window. Along with one more thing.

Your pride.

The pride of figuring everything out on your own.

So when you heard the familiar swoosh of air above you...

When you saw the unmistakable red helmet...

When you felt his very real hand land on your waist...

It felt as though everything you had worked so hard to rebuild crumbled into dust. And just like that...

You were back at square one.

Jason's POV:

Jason had lived a rough life.

He had been through more than most people ever should, yet despite everything, there were still certain things he couldn't make sense of.

His feelings were one of them.

The word please. It had been such a simple word.

Yet the moment Stray whispered it, something had stung deep inside his chest, as though a needle had pierced straight through his heart.

He didn't understand why.

He didn't care about her.

Hell, he should've just left her at the party.

If she wanted to get herself killed, then so be it.

Yet for some reason—one he couldn't name—he couldn't leave her behind. Maybe it was because he knew exactly what it was like to fall into the hands of a criminal. He knew Black Mask wouldn't simply kill an intruder asking too many questions.

A quick death would've been mercy. She would've suffered.

Just like he had.

Or maybe it was because Stray had shown up on his streets.

In a way, she had become his responsibility. His job had been to get her off the streets before she got herself killed.

Only... he never did.

Instead, somewhere along the way, they had fallen into the rhythm of partners. Neither of them would've ever admitted it.

Yet countless encounters had proven it true.

They always chased the same leads. Always ended up in the same place. Always worked toward the same goal.

Fate?

Maybe.

Jason didn't believe in fate.

He knew they were bound to clash eventually, so he wasn't surprised when she ended up on top of him, trying to beat the shit out of him.

He understood exactly what she was feeling.

He had felt it once himself.

So lowering his hands was instinct. But not the instinct to fight or protect. It was the instinct to show her that he understood her and to give her the space she needed.

Life had given Jason plenty of scars.

It had also taught him how to recognize them in others.

Stray carried the same kind.

But life hadn't only made him observant. It had also made him stubborn. Painfully stubborn.

So despite understanding Stray... He couldn't help but resent her.

Maybe he resented her because she held up a mirror he wasn't ready to look into. Maybe what he hated wasn't Stray. Maybe it was the reflection she forced him to face.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone landing behind him.

He stood on the edge of a rooftop, watching. Or at least pretending to. His eyes were fixed on the streets below, but his mind was somewhere else entirely.

"Jaybird!" a familiar voice called cheerfully.

Jason didn't answer.

He merely glanced over his shoulder before returning his attention to the scene below.

In the dimly lit parking lot behind an abandoned building, Stray was fighting a group of goons.

Black Mask's men, he assumed.

Two were already unconscious. Three more were still standing.

For now.

The newcomer stepped beside him and looked down.

Roy.

Or rather...

Red Arrow.

After nearly two minutes of silent observation—during which Stray managed to knock out yet another goon—Roy finally spoke.

"Is she your new nemesis?" he asked, nodding toward the fight below. "Because honestly, she doesn't seem like the kind that requires this much preparation. We could just drop down there, knock her out, then have a proper chat."

"She's Gotham's newest vigilante," Red Hood replied simply.

"Oh." Roy watched the fight for another second. "So you're evaluating her." He tilted his head. "She fights like a rabid dog."

"Stray," Red Hood corrected.

"What?"

"Her name is Stray."

Jason never looked away from the fight.

"That's what Gotham started calling her."

He paused.

"She's incompetent."

Roy looked back down just as Stray knocked out the last remaining goon before immediately crouching down to search their pockets. Then he continued speaking.

"Ehhh... I don't know about that. To me, she looks like she's using the 'if you don't know what you're doing, your enemy can't possibly predict your next move' fighting style." He chuckled.

"And somehow..." Roy continued. "...it's working."

"Don't encourage her," Red Hood snapped.

"Alright, alright!" Roy laughed, raising both hands in surrender.

"Why are you here anyway?"

"Good to see you too, buddy." Roy nudged him in the shoulder.

"Fuck off." Jason shoved him away without much force.

"Ugh, alright, fine." Roy stepped back and looked down at the parking lot once more. "Let's skip the small talk. I've been following a lead."

That got Jason's attention.

"A new drug showed up in Star City. It first started circulating through local parties. Then I started digging, and every trail eventually led back here."

"Gotham?"

Roy nodded.

"Every supplier either came from Gotham or got their product from someone in Gotham."

Jason nodded, silently urging him to continue.

"This shit is no joke, man." Roy's tone became noticeably more serious. "We ran it through a lab, and chemically it looks... normal. Like any other drug." He frowned. "But for God knows what reason... something about it just isn't right."

"Yeah." Jason folded his arms. "We came to the same conclusion."

"We?" Roy raised an eyebrow. "The Batfamily's working the case too?"

"No." Jason pointed toward the woman still rummaging through unconscious criminals' pockets. "Me... and that rabid raccoon down there."

"You're working with her?" Roy asked, genuinely surprised.

"'Working' is a strong word." Jason stepped closer to the edge of the rooftop. "We've just been following the same lead."

"And we keep ending up in the same places."

Roy looked down at Stray again.

"So... should we tell her what I found?"

Jason stood with the tips of his boots hanging over the edge of the building.

His eyes never left Stray. He had watched her all night.

Just like every other night.

Silently keeping an eye on her. Following her from rooftop to rooftop.

Why?

He honestly didn't know. Maybe he had hoped she'd uncover something he had missed. Instead, she'd reached the same dead end he had.

Maybe...

Maybe Roy could give her the push she needed.

After all, it was obvious she wasn't going to back down. She never surrendered.

He'd watched her make one reckless decision after another simply because giving up wasn't an option in her mind.

Maybe if he helped her this once...

He could point her in the right direction. Without another word...

Jason jumped.

ᴀ/ɴ: ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴜʏꜱ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ! ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴅꜱ-ᴜᴘ! ɪ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴘᴏꜱᴛɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴅᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ɪ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ʟᴇᴀᴠɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ᴠᴀᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀᴡᴀʀᴅ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ᴀɴʏ ɴᴇᴡ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴊᴜʟʏ 11ᴛʜ (ᴀᴘᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ʜᴀꜱ ᴢᴇʀᴏ ʀᴇᴄᴇᴘᴛɪᴏɴ… ᴡʜᴏ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪɴ 2026? 😭), ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪꜱᴇ ɪ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴅɪꜱᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀ! ɪ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪᴛ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴʏ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇꜱ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴘᴏꜱᴛᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ. ꜱᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴏᴏɴ! ❤️

𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

♡ 𝕋𝕒𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 ♡

@cookiepersona, @overrated-romance, @fireriyu, @s0fia-14, @waytotiger13, @tomkaulitzlovrr, @dgb45zb

At that, Jason's phone suddenly started ringing.

Clearly, they weren't happy with his answer.

It was a group video call.

He had half a mind not to answer, but he knew that if he didn't say anything, they would just keep making assumptions.

So he accepted.

"There he is!" Dick beamed at the camera.

"Mazel tov," Damian said in a flat voice.

"We wanna know everything!" Steph and Duke started chanting together.

All Jason could do was pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration until the chanting stopped, giving him the opportunity to ask his question.

"Where did you get this picture, Damian?"

"The park," he simply answered. "Saw you while I was walking Titus." He shrugged.

"You took her to an outdoor cinema?" Dick asked. "I didn't know you were such a romantic."

"Jason has a heart?" Duke asked, flabbergasted.

"And he also has taste!" Steph chirped. "She's really pretty."

"She seems nice," Cass added.

"Well, she's a friend, so all of that doesn't matter," Jason cut right to the point.

That brought a variety of reactions from the group.

Dick and Duke laughed in disbelief, clearly not believing a single word he said.

Damian still seemed uninterested.

Cass and Steph were exchanging mysterious glances, clearly having an entire conversation without saying a word.

Even Tim had stopped working and was now smiling smugly at Jason through the camera.

Shit.

They weren't believing him.

If only they knew he was actually telling the truth for once.

"Yeah, sure, Little Wing. A friend," Dick said, amused.

"Friends don't go on romantic dates together," Duke stated matter-of-factly.

"And friends don't give each other their jackets," Damian dropped the bomb.

"YOU GAVE HER YOUR JACKET?!" Steph and Dick screamed at the camera at the same time.

"I'm gonna murder you, Damian," Jason said.

"I would like to see you try, Todd," Damian challenged him.

Well, there it was.

Doom.

The one thing he had wished to keep private.

He had finally found a moment of peace and quiet.

A place where he could be himself.

The bookstore.

And in it, he had found an unexpected friend.

He had never understood why having a friend was important.

But now that he was hearing Steph and Cass planning with Tim to visit the store and destroy his little sanctuary, he was beyond pissed.

They couldn't take this away from him.

Not after what had happened with Stray.

He needed this.

So he did the only thing he knew.

Threatening people.

His joking tone disappeared.

"I'm serious," Jason said quietly.

"If I see any of you anywhere near her, I swear to God, I'll murder every single one of you."

"You can't hide her away from us, Little Wing," Dick pouted.

"Yes, I fucking can. And I will." Jason furrowed his brows in anger. "She's just a friend. She doesn't need all of you sniffing around her."

"If she is 'just a friend'..." Duke made air quotes with one hand. "...then why were you on a date with her?"

"A romantic date, no less," Steph added.

Jason took a deep breath to calm himself down.

He needed a clear and truthful explanation for them to finally drop the topic.

"She invited me after her coworkers canceled on her. I asked if I could bring someone else, and she actually seemed relieved that I hadn't misunderstood the invitation as a date."

"Wait. Who did you invite?" Tim asked curiously.

"I took Ace." Jason shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.

"You took the dog?!" Dick gaped at the screen.

"Well, clearly I had no other choice. It's not like I could take any of you out," Jason deadpanned.

"AUGH! YOU WOUND ME, BROTHER!" Dick gasped dramatically.

"So she didn't want this to be a date, based on her reaction to you bringing a plus one," Tim stated. "But that doesn't mean you didn't want it to be one."

"OMG. Jason has a crush!" Steph lit up.

"What I have is a Glock and a list of all your addresses," Jason threatened.

"We all live at the same place, dumbass," Duke pointed out.

Yeah.

No way.

He wasn't doing this.

He shouldn't have even picked up.

They weren't going to take him seriously.

He had been doomed from the beginning.

"Alright. If you guys keep bothering me about this, or if I see any of you around her, I won't visit the Manor ever again." Jason shrugged nonchalantly. "And I'll tell Alfred it was all your fault."

Now that was a threat they seemed to take seriously.

They quickly apologized and promised not to go anywhere near you while he was around.

They promised to drop the subject.

However, Jason knew better.

He knew this only bought him time and nothing more.

He just hoped that time would be enough to prepare you for the Batfamily.

As if anyone could ever be prepared.

ᴀ/ɴ: ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴜʏꜱ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ɪᴛ! ɪ ᴀʙꜱᴏʟᴜᴛᴇʟʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴛꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ'ꜱ ᴄʜᴀᴏᴛɪᴄ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ꜱʜᴇɴᴀɴɪɢᴀɴꜱ, ꜱᴏ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ꜱᴜʀᴘʀɪꜱᴇᴅ ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴘᴏᴘ ᴜᴘ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴏꜰᴛᴇɴ ɪɴ ꜰᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀꜱ. 🫣

𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

♡ 𝕋𝕒𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 ♡

@cookiepersona, @overrated-romance, @fireriyu, @s0fia-14, @waytotiger13, @tomkaulitzlovrr