★ㅤJason Todd [🥊 08]

December 23, 11:48 pm — Gotham City.

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It wasn't like you had anything better to do just hours before Christmas. Nor was it like Jason had anyone to spend it with; he didn't have the best relationship with his family. It was just the two of you on patrol, treating the day like any other. A few jokes and sentimental conversations brought on by the cold and the colorful lights adorning the buildings.

A few minutes passed. They were walking in silence, until a soft cry from a nearby alley caught Jason's attention. He stopped abruptly and turned toward the sound.

—What's wrong? Did you detect any danger?

You asked, still on your guard. Jason didn't answer. He simply took off his jacket and walked into the alley. You followed him, not understanding why this man, usually sharp-tongued and arrogant, seemed so out of sorts.

Jason bent down in front of a small box and took out a small black puppy that was shivering from the cold, covered in small bits of snow.

—Come here, you flea bag.

She spoke with a face almost as relaxed as a flower and a voice almost like a bird's. Her eyes, however, betrayed a small glimmer of sadness at the sight of the puppy's condition. The animal curled up against her pale, battered hand, the product of countless nightly battles.

You stared at him. It was almost unreal to see him being so kind to that puppy when, just hours before, he'd been beating the crap out of some idiot.

—What? Are you just going to stand there and watch?

Jason cleared his throat and regained that biting tone he used to hide his vulnerability. Even so, his cheeks flushed his snow-white skin. Perhaps it was the closeness, the vulnerability, or the cold.

Yes. That person with the biting remarks and a warmth almost unbecoming of his tough exterior was definitely Jason: a man who, deep down, was still a child. One who, as a child, pretended to be grown up.