DANGEROUS ⇛ Jason Todd [ currently on hiatus ]

8.

(Short Chapter!)

Jason stares at an old piece of newspaper in his hands, his eyes distant and filled with pain and grief. My heart almost aches as soon as his eyes flicker to mine, flinching as he crumples the discolored paper.

"Are you alright, Jason?" I quietly mutter, reaching out to place my hand on his tense shoulder. I glance at the newspaper. It must have been years old, floating around this apartment since before I had ever moved in.

"I'm fine." He shrugs my hand off of him. Composing himself speedily before dropping the piece of paper to the floor. Jason's jaw ticks, his fists clenched beside his hips. As much as I may have seemed to hate him--I really did not. I just disliked him. There's a pretty big difference.

"Are you su--"

"We need to find the Black Mask." He quickly changes the subject, his expression hard and almost pained. "I'm going to go collect some information. I'll give you a ring when I need you."

"Right."

Jason throws his leather jacket over his left shoulder, stalking out of my apartment without saying a word. Stephanie glances at me after the door slams shut behind him. She raises an eyebrow at me, not muttering a single word. I shrug my shoulders, grazing my bottom lip with my teeth.

With pursed lips, I bend down and pick up the crumpled piece of newspaper. I tug the paper to flatten it, pressing at the creases that were too big. My eyes scan the page until I find an article that stands out.

Robin: Dead?

I sigh, how did he even read this? The writing is tattered and faded, almost invisible on the yellowed paper. My head tilts to the side. Jason must've known something more about this article, something that hurt him or at least something that made him so suddenly unhappy.

"Jason's going to drag you into something you shouldn't be a part of, Danielle." Stephanie's voice catches me off guard causing me to jump slightly and drop the paper to the floor. She sitting with her back as straight as a ruler, her arm flung over the back of the small couch. Her expression is serious, her eyes forcefully meeting my own.

"I know, Steph. But this is something I want to help him with. If Roman Sionis really did kill my sister, I want to help Jason get to him."

"And do you know what Jason plans to do after he has him? Do you know what the Red Hood does to criminals like the Black Mask?" Her tone changes suddenly, rising to a louder and almost frustrated sounding sentence. She looks at me, her eyes questioning me with a sense of confidence that I've always been envious of.

"No."

"He's going to kill him. Not lock him up or send him to Arkham or any of that." Stephanie stands, her posture tall and strong. "That's something that you don't want to help him out with."

"What?" I whisper, my hands rising to rest on my hips. I could have sworn it all worked differently--isn't that why the Joker is still alive? Because not killing him is seen as the correct thing to do? "I didn't--I didn't know."

"That's how the Red Hood works, Danielle. He's not Batman or Nightwing or Superman. Jason is the Red Hood and that's all he's ever going to be. It's why everyone is so scared of him. Because he isn't afraid. He isn't afraid to cross the line that Batman won't step over."

"He deserves it." I blurt. "A life for a life, right? And who knows how many countless other innocent people he had killed before Emily, maybe Jason should--"

"You don't know what your saying, Dani." Stephanie sighs. "If Roman Sionis dies because of the Red Hood, that makes Jason just as bad as him."

"There's no other way to find him, Steph. We-we can't just leave him out there, he needs to be caught. He's a bad guy, isn't he?"

"That doesn't mean he needs to die. That doesn't mean anyone needs to die." Steph reasons, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around my shoulders in a tight and comforting hug.

"I don't know what to do, Stephanie. I feel like I should just leave it to the people who can actually do something. I can't do anything. I don't know how to fight, I'm not a genius and I'm terrified of basically everything. But I don't want to feel like I've done nothing about my own sister's death--that I just sat and waited for everything to sort itself out. I want to help but there's not much I can do apart from, well, nothing."

"Danielle, you don't need to do anything. Some way or another everything will be fixed and Roman Sionis will be locked away. I promise."

"Why do you know so much about this, Stephanie?" I ask, not letting go of my light haired friend's embrace.

"I just do."

I don't question her any more, leaving the subject alone. If Stephanie wants me to know, then she'll tell me. I won't be the one to force anything out of her. But I couldn't let her stop me from doing whatever I can to help Jason find and capture Sionis. Maybe if I try, I can convince him not to kill anyone. I just have to do something, for my own peace of mind.

Stephanie pulls away, stepping back and looking right at me. Her face lights up with a devious smile, her eyes holding a mischievous glint. She grabs my arm, pulling me down to the couch.

"You know, you need a break." She says, pushing her hair over her shoulders. I raise an eyebrow at her as if to ask her just what she meant.

"Like?"

"I'm staying the night. Whether you want me to or not. We're going to have fun, eat junk food and watch tons of Netflix, yeah?"

"Yeah." I smile, reaching for my car keys. I groan once I remember that I can't use my car. "We need to go get some of that food though. I ate all of the stuff I had last night."

"Alright-y." Stephanie shrugs her jacket over her shoulders, quickly slipping on her shoes. do the same.

"We have to walk, though. My car is gone for repairs."

"Really?" She frowns, groaning as she pushes my front door open. "Fine, fine."