ECHO (Jason Todd x reader)

Chapter 7 - Fears Come True

She jolts awake, gasping for breath as the remnants of a nightmare fade. Her heart races in her chest, pounding so hard she fears it might stop. A cold sheen of sweat clings to her skin. She rubs her face, trying to ground herself, reassuring herself it was only a dream. Her hand fumbles across the nightstand, finally closing around her phone. The screen lights up—six in the morning. She still has hours before her shift at the facility, but after what just happened, sleep seems impossible.

She decides to catch the sunrise from the fire escape.

Slipping a sweater over her T-shirt, she pushes open the window and steps out, immediately hit by the bite of the cold wind. She shivers, settling onto the metal steps, tucking her hands into the sleeves for warmth.

After a brief silence, a voice from above snaps her out of her daydream.

"What are you doing?" She doesn't need to turn around to recognize the modulated voice. Somehow, she knew he was here.

"Sitting, if it isn't obvious."

He descends the stairs, moving past her seated figure, the light from the streetlamps catching the gleam of his red helmet. "I've got eyes, genius. That's not what I'm asking," he mutters, leaning against the railing.

"Why are you talking to me? Weren't you the one who said I was 'useless'?" she shoots back, raising an eyebrow.

He tilts his head, visibly irritated. "Can't you just answer the question?"

"Watching the sunrise," she replies, her lips forming a slight pout. "What are you doing here?"

"None of your business," he responds bluntly.

She scoffs. "Of course. Should've known better than to expect a straight answer from you. You've got that whole mysterious edge lord vibe going on."

He places a hand over his heart, feigning offense. "Ouch, I'm hurt."

She drops her head onto her knees. "Just... buzz off, okay? I don't need more criticism from you, not now."

He hesitates, considering his next words. "Alright, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I don't handle frustration well." He admits, his tone softer. "What's bothering you?"

"Remind me what you said again?"

He groans at her childishness. "I called you a useless crybaby."

She nods. "Alright, apology accepted. To answer your question, I just had a bad nightmare."

"Pfft, a nightmare? That's it?"

"Alright, if you came here just to make fun of me then you should leave." She says through her teeth.

"Okay, okay. My bad." He raises his hands in surrender. "What was it about? Maybe talking about it will help."

She sits in silence for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "Well, I found myself in an alley. It was dark and eerily quiet. When I looked down, I realized I was holding a young boy. But it wasn't just that—I felt my hand pressing against his blood-soaked chest. When I glanced at my hands..." She hesitates. "They were drenched in blood. And worse, I had these claws." She lifts her hands, palms up as if to see if it is truly real. "Every wall in that alley was stained red. There were so many bodies." Her voice quivers, and she chokes back tears. "It was horrific."

Red Hood's silence scares her. "It wasn't a dream, though. Was it?" He asks rhetorically.

"What?"

He steps closer to her, reaching for his holstered gun. "You murdered all those people in Sirith Alley. You murdered that little boy." He aims it at her head. "And you've just confessed to the mass murder."