no rest for the wicked [jason todd]

twenty eight

WHEN SHE WAS MUCH YOUNGER,

Tye Melrose didn't technically exist. Tyanna Jacobi though, she happened to exist in more of a negative way. No one knew the Jacobis as nice people, and when their daughter came into the world, it was almost as if people acted like animals on their hind-legs. She was a fighter, stubborn to the bone and sharp with her words.

She happened to be a little brutal with her fists too.

It wasn't just her. The encouragement and cheers of her dad's closest friend and partner in crime, Luis Fontaine, and her boyfriend Jonny kept her going. Fights and street racing, not to even mention all of the theft.

When the charges came and she faced the inside of a jail cell or the battlefield, it was obvious which one she chose. It slammed some dignity into her skull, changed her for the better, and then the world went to shit again. Her father died. She went home, watched them bury him in a casket, and decided the Jacobi part of her life had ceased. Never said a word to Luis or Jonny again.

She changed her name as quickly as a hummingbird flaps it's own wings. Then, she joined up for the academy, deciding that she was going to make her own life fully worth living.

That was what brought her here.

Standing in the room, facing Jonny Harrelson and Luis Fontaine, Tye wondered where the hell she'd gone wrong. What did she deserve to have to face them again?

There was a moment where she nearly reached for the gun in her waistband, but instead she put on a fake smile and raised an eyebrow toward the men. "You take hostages now?" She offered to Luis, stepping past Jason despite the fact all she wanted to do was grab him. "Wow," she said to Jonny, catching two of her fingers in the collar of his black t-shirt. "Low, Jonny, even for you."

He leaned forward and nearly pressed his lips to hers, but she used the time to grab onto his gun and slam it back into his gut, causing him to stumble away from her. Not too far, since she was holding onto the rifle, and she yanked it out of his hand. Now, she turned toward Luis, pulling out the pistol and aiming it straight at him. "GCPD," she said, "hands up, now, Luis, and no one gets hurt."

Luis kept his gun unwavering against Jason's temple, and now was the time she saw the flicker of change in his expression. Jason reached his hand up and grabbed onto the gun quickly, twisting Luis' wrist and turning it toward the ground. He fired in haste but lifted the gun to try and aim back to Jason. The other man punched him square in the face, grabbing the gun out of his hand. "Duck!" He shouted, and Tye listened thankfully. She dropped straight to the ground and Jason fired a warning shot.

Her breathing was slow as she turned toward Luis. He seemed to be getting up, but Jason stopped him by placing a foot on his chest. Tye whipped around to Jonny, aiming her pistol toward him. "GCPD," she said, "put your fucking hands up, Jonny Harrelson. You're under arrest for the possession of illegal firearms, attempted assault of an officer— You want me to go on?"

"Don't do this, babe," Jonny said, raising his eyebrows. "C'mon, Tyanna, you and I, we could be fucking royalty on those streets. I mean, you'd have to quit your pretend-job and get your name back, but shit..."

Tye's eyes narrowed and she kept her grip firm on the pistol. She didn't know what to say either, finger hesitating on the trigger. "Tyanna doesn't exist anymore," she said, just as the doors burst open and Dick ran in, he had a pair of handcuffs and he tossed them to Jason. Grabbing the ones off of Tye's belt, he reached for Jonny, grabbing his arms. He forced him to turn around, practically slamming him a against the wall.

Jason stepped out and when the officers came in, she did too, tucking the pistol in her waistband again. "Jay," she said quietly, looking toward him now, "I should have said something about my... Past."

He flicked open a lighter and lit a cigarette, briefly looking over to her. He flicked the cigarette and leaned back against the wall, breathing out slightly. "You should have," he agreed after a moment now, turning toward her with his eyebrows pulled together. He pulled the cigarette back up to his mouth and then pulled it away, exhaling. "It's no worries, really, Tye. Just... Tyanna? C'mon. I didn't even know you had a name before..."

"That was the plan. You never heard of the Jacobis? Tom Jacobi? Guy was a monster, Jay. Happy he died."

The man next to her exhaled. "Tom Jacobi," he repeated, and suddenly, the name shook him to the core. Tom Jacobi. God, that wasn't... Wasn't that the guy that he'd fought on the building? The one who'd tumbled right off? Bruce had been so angry with him too, yelling loudly. If he was the guy who'd killed Tye's dad, he wouldn't... He wouldn't forgive himself.

"Jay?" She asked.

He tossed the cigarette onto the ground, crushed it onto his boot and put an arm around her shoulder. "Let's go home," he said quietly, looking up toward the sky.

Tye smiled softly and reached for his belt loop to pull him close, pressing her soft lips to his cheek. "Jay," she said after a moment, "can we... Can we have the labels talk? I know we're not twelve and this all sounds so awful but, really, I want... I really want to have that talk with you."

"You want me to ask you to be my girlfriend?" Jason asked softly, turning to look toward her. He popped a piece of gum into his mouth, turned toward the sky and smiled. "Because honestly, Tye, I didn't even think you wanted to..."

She looked toward him and pulled her eyebrows together. "Yes, I want to be your girlfriend, Jason Todd," she said to him.

He paused, nearly dropping his arm from where it was around her shoulder. "I..." He turned on his heels and looked toward her, reaching up to place both hands in her cheeks. "Tye Melrose," he said in a quiet voice, his eyes practically sparkling now, "I want to be your boyfriend."

—
this might be the last chapter for a couple weeks because i got my math exam soon, oops.
but hey!!! THEY SAID THE GF BF WORDS GUYS IM GONNA cRY