Falling Through The Hourglass | Jason Todd x Male Reader

Chapter Fifteen

(Oh my god, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in over three months! Like, where have I been? August and September kind of knocked me on my ass tbh. I caught a really bad cold in August that kept me from school for almost a full week. Right after recovering from that, I ended up injuring myself in a longboarding incident bad enough that my knee wouldn't stay in place and I had to go to the ER. I didn't get an MRI until OCTOBER, and it turned out that I tore my meniscus, and we're trying to see whether I need surgery for it or not. So, I ended up missing almost another full week of school, so my assignments piled up on me and I fucking died. My motivation for writing has kind of been leeched for a bit, but it comes back in spurts. Also, my birthday happened :D

TL;DR - The Ao3 Author's Curse is real and I'm suffering for it, but the universe will have to pry my love for this traumatized little man from my cold, dead hands.)

You grin, the expression causing your eyes to squint the slightest bit before you take the grappling hook into your hands. The object felt almost weighted compared to the one Jason had given you, strange considering it looked almost identical to your old one.

You turn to close the door, only for Nightwing to stop you again. His demeanor seemed different this time, not quite as lighthearted as he had been just a minute before.

He made sure he had your attention before he started, "the words you used.." "The words I used?" "Back at the cave. 'When he had come back to Gotham' 'nothing changed from when he died'. You even mentioned the Joker." The illuminated eyes of his domino mask narrow at you, small enough that you almost didn't notice. Almost.

"Who is the Red Hood, [Name]?"

You never could escape having to explain your history, would you?

Your eyebrows furrow, teeth taking ahold of and tugging on your inner lip. Your eyes take on a sheen of anxiety and remorse as they meet his. The blue-clad hero takes notice, patting the passenger seat. "Come back in, nothing like some patrol to calm your nerves, right?"

You smile, tilting your head even as you get back into the car. "This your method for getting everyone to talk?" "Just the vigilante ones." You roll your eyes, though it's clear that it's playful as you sit back down next to him. You settle against the leather, buckling the seatbelt again.

He puts the car in reverse, backing out of the alleyway and falling back into the night. You look out the windshield, watching the stars shine, unobscured by Gotham's thick gray clouds and the colorful lights of the buildings.

The road was slick, you could hear the water splashing onto its metal exterior as it drifts. "So, Red Hood?" His voice rips you from your admiring of the city you call home. "Right."

You shift in your seat, getting as comfortable as you can. "The Bat told you that I worked with him, yeah?" He nods in response, "that, he did tell me. He didn't tell me much more, though." "Alright. Basically, the Red Hood is Jason Todd and it's kind of my fault he died."

There's a short beat of silence that follows, time feeling as if it slowed down. His grip tightens on the steering wheel, the leather creaking against Nightwing's gloves. "What do you mean?" "I can curse people with bad luck, and, when he was Robin, he made me a little upset, so I cursed him. Then he died."

He bit his lower lip, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Did you get him killed on purpose?" "Of course not! He annoyed me, sure, but nothing to the point of murder." He nods, his hold on the steering wheel loosening as he relaxes the slightest bit, "go on." "Mhm. I became a goon for the Gotham Rogues, ruined a bunch of their crimes, yada yada. Then, Jason showed up, I helped him, then my apartment got blown up." "By...?" "Black Mask."

"Can I be honest, here for a second?" "Shoot." "Sounds like you're in deep trouble. Black Mask is not someone you want to mix in with. God forbid he finds your new place." "I made sure he wouldn't. Or, that it would at least be very hard for him to." "Just stay cautious." You dip your head in understanding, clearing your throat as you continue. "Jason saved me from the fire, took me under his wing for a bit, taught me some things, you know. Then, we were on a mission, and my curse got some people killed. I decided to tell him about what happened all those years ago. Needless to say, he did not take it well."

"Define 'did not take it well'." "He threw a bomb at me and left." "He did that to Batman once, too." You shrug, "yeah, that doesn't surprise me." "Speaking of which, does he know about this whole anecdote?" "Yes." "All of it?" You sigh, "mhm."

Another second of silence before he breaks the silence again. "I don't think you're a bad person, [Name]." "Yeah," you give a light chuckle, tilting your head at him as you raise an eyebrow. "You can't control what your curse does, right? What effect it has on someone?" "No," you shake your head as you answer, "if i could, Jason wouldn't have died, and a goon would still be alive. But, that doesn't mean anything. I still should've considered that it would've been a possible consequence."

"Sure, but you regret it. You feel remorse over the lives lost. You're more careful with your ability. That shows growth. Besides, you have been out there, doing what we do. We knowingly put our lives on the line just about every night. For all we know, Jason would have died out there regardless." "You wouldn't say that to his face, right?" "I wouldn't phrase it that way, no."

Just then, an alarm rings through the vehicle, exposing a nearby crime. You both smile as you pull closer to it, getting ready to hop out and take on the night once more.