no rest for the wicked [jason todd]

twenty three

WEEKS HAD PASSED BY NOW.

Tye and Jason hadn't spoken about the night. Early November came to early December and Tye had some check-ups. She was doing a lot better now physically, and emotionally -- well, she still wasn't sleeping the greatest at night. She was strong and he knew that; she just couldn't bring herself to push her demons away just yet. She was still fighting with them, and unless she cried out for help, he wasn't going to invade.

She threw a punch toward the focus pads he was wearing, throwing his thoughts all out of whack. She noticed, clearly, because her hands dropped away from blocking her face. "Really?" She asked him. "You told me to keep my head in the fight, and you're the one daydreaming like a pretty princess."

"Oh trust me, you are definitely the pretty princess in this relationship," Jason told her. Then, the minute he said it, he didn't know what to follow up with. Whatever this was, he'd never called it a relationship, not even a friendly relationship. They hadn't discussed what they even were to each other, let alone if they were friends. For all he knew, she could have hated his guts.

If Tye thought he meant anything other than a friendship, she didn't say a word. She only unstrapped the gloves and tossed them into a basket. "On another note," she said awkwardly, "I've been working on some armour with Dick's help -- and kind of Tim's, he's really smart, actually," she moved over to grab a bag out of the closet and sifted through some things. "I wanna help," she told him, "you."

"With... Oh, no, you don't," Jason's voice had an edge to it as he reached for the armour out of her hands. It was a top; a breastplate, some elbow guards and shoulder pads. It looked really durable, actually. "You're not serious."

"Of course I am," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm serious, Jason. One hundred percent serious about this. It's armour so I can go out."

Jason tossed the armour back in the bag. "I'm gonna make you a suggestion right now," he offered, "forget about the armour. Don't even remember you made it. Lock it in a closet and don't touch it, because if someone puts their fu-" He broke off, inhaling. "If someone puts their grimy hands on you and you get hurt again, Tye, I'm going to break every bone in their body. I won't be able to help it. It's better off if you don't just become a distraction in the field."

She was silent for a moment. "..Distraction?" She nearly snapped. "Because I can't handle myself, right? Because there was one time where a crazy psycho guy kidnapped me when I wasn't ready. I'll be ready this time."

"He gave you back!" Jason's voice rose. "We couldn't find you, Tye! Doesn't that fucking register in your head? He's still out there, and next time, he might not want to just taunt me! He might want to kill you! You wanna do a thing to aggravate him?" He slammed a hand against the wall. A shelf actually fell and a picture frame knocked onto the ground, the glass shattering all over the floor. He glanced toward it before over toward her, his voice lower now, "Tye-- You don't get it, he gave you back last time. He might not-- Some other people might not do that."

It didn't seem to make a difference to her now. She was zipping the bag up and pulling it up onto her shoulder. "I'm gonna go see Dick," she said quietly, "I'll see you later, Jay."

"Wait, Tye--" He began, but she'd grabbed her jacket now and she was out the door.

She was pretty quick to get there, too. She knocked quickly, and loudly, too. "Dick!" She called loudly, her eyebrows narrowing. Was he even home?

She turned, muttering curses under her breath, about to leave when the door suddenly opened wide. "Tye?" Dick asked, his voice tired, "Tye... Hey, hey..." He muffled a yawn into his hand and she turned around, scanning the wound above his eyebrow. "Don't ask," he told her quietly when she noticed, reaching up to brush his fingers across it, "long story."

"Do you have a couch?"

Dick's expression turned shocked and he lifted his shoulders into a shrug, opening the door wide enough to let her step in. "Yeah," he told her, "but I'm not sure how comfy it is, Tye. What happened with Jay? Thought you guys were getting along really well."

"We were until we had a... Disagreement," she muttered vaguely, tossing her duffel bag onto the couch. It was an old brown couch, fabric and not leather, with one plaid pillow and the other a black one, two that didn't look like they belonged there at all. Her lips were curled into a frown and she didn't say a word for a moment, her arms folding over her chest. The minute she spent giving his chipped wall a glare was more like an eternity.

Dick cleared his throat and her glare softened into a look that almost looked sad. "He said... He said I shouldn't go out. I'd be a distraction in the field. If someone hurt me, he wouldn't know how to cope with himself. That isn't his business, is it really?"

He shook his head. "I know where he's coming from," he attempted, but Tye wouldn't have it. She shot him a look that silenced him quickly.

He opened his mouth to say something but found that no other words could find the courage to leave the safety of his mind and make the journey. Instead, he lifted his shoulders into a weak shrug and turned to the side. "You can come with me," he told her when he worked up enough energy to force the words out, "you just have to be careful and quick."

"As swift as a coursing river," Tye whispered, turning toward him, "with all the force of a great typhoon."

Dick blinked, confusion filling his features.

She continued, singing now, "With all the strength of a raging fire, mysterious as the dark side of the moon!"