no rest for the wicked [jason todd]

seven

WHEN TYE WOKE,

she was somewhere completely unfamiliar. She had blurry vision from whatever drug she'd been given, and rubbed her head as if the sensation would bring her back to the reality she inhabited. It did, for the most part, and she managed to look around the dark room with squinted eyes. 

Come on, Tye, she told herself, what's the last thing you remember?

Her posture straightened as she became acutely aware of the figure lingering at the door, her brain catching onto the last remnants of what she hadn't lost in the unconscious spiral. Red Hood. She'd seen Red Hood, and he'd been the one to drug her. What if something... Her stomach knotted almost instantly and she sat up, looking around. She was... Okay, she was still wearing the jacket and the boots, she doubted any further undressing occurred.

She winced when the lights flicked on, moving to close her eyes. She blinked for a long moment and then looked up at the figure hovering in the doorframe. He had taken off the helmet, although a blood red domino mask covered his eyes. She could see the slope of his jawline, the stubble that had been growing on his chin, and she couldn't help how breathless she was.

Not because he was hot -- she'd seen hot guys -- but because of how intruding his presence was. He was intimidating, even when she could see how young he seemed. Not too much older than herself, if any older.

"Oh my God," she said, "you're... You're the Red Hood?" 

Her eyes widened after a moment and she slapped a hand over her eyes. "Fuck me," she muttered, "he's going to kill me for this. I can't believe-- Ah, sh--" She broke off before she could say anymore.

"Gladly," Red Hood said, and God, she'd never heard a voice like that. He could narrate her life and she would never get tired of hearing him speak.  She did watch his lips split into a little grin, offering, "We might want to talk first though. What situation you get in to have to run away from Dick Grayson?" 

He knew Dick. Her heart felt like it was doing the most extreme round of American Ninja Warrior. "He's-- He's been following me," she said, her eyebrows furrowed over wide, doe-shaped eyes. "I was just trying to get away. I didn't even really know him." She brought her boots up further onto the bed, heels distracting the neat folds of the sheets. "I just saw him at my work, y'know, and then he tried to follow me."

He didn't believe her. She could tell by the way the white lenses narrowed and the curve of his mouth tilted further down. He didn't push her further, surprisingly, and only leaned back against the wall of the room. "Gotta ask," he said, "what exactly is your work, and how'd a pretty face like you get out on the streets?"

"Dad shot my mom in the head," she said after a moment, and it was true, "she was cheatin' on him with his brother. Killed the brother too. Then, he got into drugs, tried to ignore what he'd done. Could hardly lift a pencil let alone support me. Resorted to stealing, met a kid who helped me out a little, and then I tried to even myself out. Didn't work, and I fell back to this."

She saw no pity in his eyes. None. She saw more of him relating, trying to block out his own past, and that didn't shock her. Justifying villains was something she had a hard time stopping herself from doing. "Gotta ask," he said after a moment, "what's your name, sweetheart?"

"Briar," she said, fluttering her eyelashes, and Red Hood, she watched him laugh.

"Like the Princess? Briar Rose?" She was curious how he knew that, so she shrugged and gave a little laugh herself.

She couldn't help wondering why she'd been so terrified of him in the first place, but then she reminded herself. Tye, she thought, the file. Remember the file. All those people he hurt. She couldn't breathe for a moment, and she felt like she was going to choke. He probably saw her looking alarmed, and after a moment, he looked around. "What?" He asked. "Are you-- Are you choking?" 

"No, I just--" Tye put a hand to her stomach, feeling like she was going to be ill. She stood up and shrugged off the coat, looking toward him. "Where's your bathroom?" She asked.

He stepped aside and held a hand out, so she ran past him and pushed the door shut slightly behind her, throwing up. Everything was so wrong about this, but... She'd been looking for him, and she was here, with him. "Hey," he said, pushing the door open. "Are you okay? Look, I can let you shower and then--" He waved a hand. "You can go home, if you need to. I'll put some coffee on." He tossed her a bottle of ibuprofen, looking slightly shocked when she caught it without lifting her head.

Then, he put down a towel and some spare clothes he had -- nothing would fit, but she could tell he was trying to be nice. He also put her coat there, folded, and then he shut the door. She locked it behind him, digging through the coat for her phone. She sent her current location to Dick, adding "I'm with him right now????" before she turned it off.

Then, she decided, yeah, she would shower.