Nightbunny ( PSL with bunnyhopped )

[bildungsromans]

Dick Grayson (bildungsromans) and Hana Song (bunnyhopped)

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[encrimsoned]

[ Jason can remember the exact number of times he punched Dick in the face moments ago.

Twenty two punches.

Not a single blow held back.

Yet the beating Jason delivered could barely do justice to the sheer and corrosive rage flowing through his veins. Stuck in a state of unbidden fury, his fingers still tremble thinking about the worst possible betrayal he's had the privilege of discovering: Dick's betrayal - Jason's own damn brother's betrayal - of Hana's trust. Jason had cared for her before, almost to the point of affection... only to graciously back off and admire her from a distance when he could see that Hana had her eyes on Dick.

But now, in hindsight... what good did it do to keep his distance?

Initially, Dick had defended himself. In his period of weakness, it seems, he made excuses for himself about the weight he's been forced to bear. But Jason could only hear this bullshit and tell Dick what a damn hypocrite he is - after all the things Jason has had to endure, he's never used someone the way Dick used Hana. And yet Jason's the bad apple? The black sheep? Dick's lost the high ground, and as far as Jason's concerned... it's been revoked for life.

So it's clear Jason still feels for Hana. And though Dick ultimately relented, ultimately allowed Jason to finally strike him, knowing he had been in the wrong... Jason wasn't satisfied. Dick being so badly bruised, accepting retribution for what he's done... that wasn't enough.

Not until Jason found Hana. Not until he saw how she was holding up after this clusterfuck.

Fortunately, it didn't take long.

Jason arrives at a greasy bar in Gotham City's East End. From what he knows of this area, it's not exactly the safest place to drown one's sorrows, let alone walk without any company at night. As such, any concern Jason had for Hana has escalated to downright panic - the kind only his Red Helmet can conceal.

Which is why, when he arrives at the bar, he doesn't come as Jason Todd.

But as the Red Hood.

And all it takes is one haunting glare at the bartender for the entire bar to be emptied in no time flat. Of all places, Jason's reputation precedes him in the East End.

The bartender's about to yell at the only straggler left. But Red Hood steps behind her to address the bartender. ]

Nope, boss. She stays.

[ He tosses the bartender a fat stack of cash before ushering him to leave. ]

Now take your tip and leave before I break something.

[ As soon as the bar's completely empty, Jason makes no attempts to crowd Hana. He simply sits on the stool next to her, meticulously removing his helmet and placing it on the counter. ]

He hurt you.

[ He hesitates to make eye contact. Best not to look at her, or show that he's doing so - it might also be considered crowding. ]

Don't try to hide it. I already know what he did.

[bunnyhopped]

[ Funny that she should end up at this particular bar, but it's the only joint in Gotham that she knows she can get real soju at. As it turns out, liquor exports from countries besieged by killer robots are hard to come by.

In any case, Hana has barely moved from the moment Jason made his rather grandiose entrance into the bar, up until now as the two of them sit alone at the bar together. She'd recognized the voice as Red Hood's - as Jason's - but she hasn't even looked at him.

She's afraid to find out what he thinks of her. Especially once his words confirm that he does, in fact, know about her and Dick's... arrangement. That he knows that D.Va and Nightwing have been filling empty nights with hollow intimacy and depravity. She's ashamed because even though Jason says it like Dick is the only one doing any hurting, Hana is equally responsible. She's the one that showed up to his apartment that first night. She's the one who let this happen. She should be stronger and braver, enough to stop this from continuing but Hana isn't the brave one. That's D.Va.

So she doesn't look at him - until she sees him set his helmet down onto the counter. Only then does she glance over to him, her eyes searching his face for some sort of sign - that maybe even after what she's done, he doesn't hate her.

The irony of it all being that Hana is, herself, unaware of Jason's feelings for her, at least of anything beyond a friendship that crackles an awful lot like a firecracker. She's so blinded by her love for Nightwing that she hasn't ever considered that others may have feelings for her.

At length, she looks back down at her drink. ]

... I wasn't going to hide it. I knew you'd find out eventually.

But this isn't all on him, Jay. I'm... using him too, aren't I? I'm being selfish.