Hello! So, chapter one was a bit short. I hope I can make the next few chapters much longer.
I just wanted to give an explanation on how I'll be writing Jason. While I love reading comics, I haven't yet been able to read any revolving around Jason except the first volume of Red Hood and the Outlaws. My only experience of Jason's personality is from the movie Under the Red Hood, as well as bits and pieces I see on tumblr. So forgive me if the way I write him is not how you initially pictured if you read the comics. What I am writing is how I imagine Jason to be. :D Because this is also a Young Justice crossover, you might be seeing other characters. The time might be changed. If my calculations are correct, Jason is already *supposedly* dead by the time Dick is 18 years old. I think 18 is around the freshman/sophomore year of college, and I imagine that Jason is canonically younger than Dick Grayson by a few years. In this story, Jason is a senior in high school, and Dick is just starting his sophomore year of college. Please let me know your thoughts through reviews! I would really appreciate it! And if you have been with me through this whole explanation, bless your lovely heart. XD
Typical disclaimer: I only own my OCs and the story. Nothing else.
Chapter 2: Conceal, Don't Feel
The first weeks of senior year were blessedly quiet for Sophie. If not in class, the library was the next best bet to find her. She had always been able to read fast, gobbling up one story after another. While others might have found it odd, she didn't care. The smell of a book was enough to cheer her up after her English class. While she loved to read, writing for her was another story. Math? Eh. Science? Fun! History? Great! English? Ew grammar, but yes to books.
Books had been her best company after being separated from her parents. Being too busy with their careers, they had left her with her grandparents when she was just five. While she loved her grandparents dearly, they were Greek immigrants that remembered more the culture of their homeland than that of Gotham city. And who could blame them? Going from somewhere like Greece to the turmoil and grit of Gotham city was enough to drive anyone crazy. She had grown up quietly with them, not belonging to either culture but rather standing on a line between both. A night under the covers with a flashlight and a book had been common for her, which was why she now needed to use reading glasses.
On one particular day in early September, she was sitting in the library reading a copy of Jane Eyre.
She hadn't spoken to Jason since the time she'd offered her umbrella in August. Once she'd seen him getting into a fancy car after school, with a man who was obviously his butler. Other than that, she hadn't seen him. Like last year, she didn't share any classes with him.
The school bell rang, signaling the end of the day. She sighed, placing a bookmark in the place she was reading. The chair creaked as she stood up, stretching her arms and letting her long hair cascade freely down her back. She'd trimmed her bangs before the first week of school, so they didn't hinder her eyes as she put her glasses away. Placing everything in her backpack, she smiled slightly. Time to go home.
Trotting past the main desk with a cheerful wave to Ms. Kelly the librarian, Sophie made her way to the door. Home was a few blocks down from the school, and the weather seemed pretty nice for early September. Eagerly she made her way down the hall with Jane Eyre in hand, not noticing an approaching group of students behind her.
"Hey, Petras!"
She froze, recognizing the voice. Turning around, she watched Bryan Mather make his way towards her. Two of his friends trailed behind, innocent smiles on their faces. Bryan Mather knew everyone, and everyone knew Bryan Mather. While this was true, Sophie wished she didn't know him. She was a particularly fond target of his. Despite the fact that she often told him to piss off.
Well, in her head at least. Hey, it counts, right?
Bryan Mather was the head of the school wrestling team. He was gorgeous by society's standards, with tanned skin, blond hair and green eyes. Not nearly as gorgeous as Jason, she thought. The sudden thought had red creeping into her cheeks. Why was she thinking about him all of a sudden?! She didn't even know him!
She sighed, rolling her eyes as he stopped in front of her. "What do you want, Bryan?" she asked, forcefully making her voice strong so that he could see she wasn't afraid of him. Which, totally, she was.
Holy crap, what now? Is he going to make fun of my face again?
She cringed, remembering the last time he had teased her. She'd been born with a roman nose, and had been ridiculed for the small bump on the bridge. And unlike many other pretty, button-nosed girls at school, she wasn't as thin. Her grandparents had always told her she was their beautiful girl, but after all his teasing she just couldn't believe them anymore. She was ugly to herself. He had destroyed her sense of self-esteem. She hated her own image.
Bryan was really tall, and heavily muscled. Batman could beat him easy, but she certainly wasn't Batman (or six foot two, for that matter).
He smirked down at her. "Aw, how cute you are with your foreign accent. What is that, Italian? And did you trim your hair again? Now I can see your lovely nose even better."
"Greek, and you know that." She ground out, her hand tightening into a fist at her side. She had nothing against Italians, but she didn't like being made fun of. Being raised by Greeks and speaking with Greeks gave you an accent, so what?
The tightening of her fist at her side caught Bryan's gaze. He focused in on her gloved hands. Today, the choice had been light pink.
"Oh, nice choice for today. Going home for a tea party with your dollies?"
"What's it to you?" she snapped back, uncharacteristically. She inhaled sharply, not used to being so openly angry with him. "Maybe I like tea."
His eyes widened for a split second before he laughed. "Maybe I should take them off your hands. Literally and figuratively."
Her eyes widened, and a look of fear crossed visibly on her face. It was too late, he'd seen. "Don't", she breathed in, taking a small step back, "Don't you dare."
He smirked, "What's the matter, hun? What's the big deal if I take them off? Are you afraid of germs, too?" His friends snickered behind him.
Before she could stop him, his hand shot out and grabbed the top of her right glove. In her shock she dropped Jane Eyre on the ground. Time slowly seemed to stop for her. This had briefly allowed the skin of her hand to touch his. Why wasn't anyone stopping this? Oh, right, because to them taking someone's gloves was not a big deal. But for her, it was.
Suddenly, she was seeing flashes: a young blonde boy and his two teasing older brothers in the snow, him skating in the park, the same boy watching an older man leave the front door with his suitcase, his mother yelling and breaking bottles, the sunlight through the trees on his first day of middle school, passing his math midterm, a girl crying in the dark across from him, his mother and brothers laughing at the table-
Just like that, memories poured through Sophie's mind like water from a fountain. The images were so vibrant, so vivid, that the sensory overload was too much for her. Immediately she had become dizzy and disoriented, closing her eyes to try and steady herself. A moment of skin contact through the hands was all she needed to see the important or major parts of someone's life: moments that made them the person they were.
Sophie hated it. Hated how her 'gift' invaded people's privacy. She was scared of how overwhelming the images where for her physically. While visualizing someone's memories only took a second for her to absorb completely, it felt so much longer. She'd been wearing gloves since she was old enough to comprehend her ability. The first time had been when she was seven. Almost ten years of wearing gloves almost every day. They were her safety net.
Bryan and his friends laughed as she stumbled, trying to right herself. She clenched her teeth, biting back tears. Her head felt fuzzy and the fingers on her bare hand tingled. Her ears were ringing.
Crying is not a weakness, her grandmother's voice rang through her head, it only shows that you are sad.
But she didn't want to cry. They didn't deserve her tears.
"Hey Mather, don't you have better things to do than fuck around with other students?"
Instantly, Sophie's eyes opened. She watched a blurry hand from behind her bend down to pick up Jane Eyre, and suddenly she knew Jason Todd was standing next to her, the book in his hands.
Bryan's eyes narrowed. "Todd. Why don't you mind your own fucking business?"
Jason smirked, handing the book back to Sophie. Shakily, she grabbed the book with her gloved hand, nodding a thanks.
"If she wants me to go, I will. She has every right to tell you to fuck off herself." Jason replied easily, glancing down at Sophie, "right?"
She blinked in surprise, looking down at the book in her hands before directing her gaze back to Bryan and his friends. His friends had gone silent, and were sending Jason wary looks. His reputation definitely proceeded him. Bryan clenched his fists, her pink glove still in one hand.
Slowly she watched as his narrowed, furious gaze went from Jason to her. She felt like an ant under his gaze, but then she remembered that Jason Todd was next to her. She wasn't alone.
"That's right." She murmured to herself. Taking in a deep breath, she extended her bare hand out in front of him. "My glove, please." She asked, pronouncing her accent more distinctly to make her point.
Bryan stared at her hand and his frown deepened as Jason stood quietly beside her, his tall figure giving her reassurance.
A moment passed, and then Bryan scoffed. He threw her glove to the floor, before turning around. "Little shits." He muttered under his breath. And just like that, Bryan walked away with his friends trailing after him.
Jason huffed in amusement.
The moment they disappeared from the hallway, Sophie bent down to retrieve her glove. Without waiting, she put Jane Eyre under her other arm so that she could slip her glove back on.
Turning to Jason, she offered a shy smile. "Thank you for the support."
He smirked back, "Thanks for the umbrella cover." He stuck out a hand, offering it to her. "Jason Todd."
Glove safely on her hand, she extended it to shake his, "Sophie Petras."
She noticed her head felt much better, and her vision was clearing despite the ringing in her ears. He was close enough that she could see a dusting of freckles over his nose and cheeks. Blue-green eyes that reminded her of the sea glittered back at her, sharp as broken glass. Black bangs fell over his forehead messily, but he was dressed just like any other male student at Gotham Academy. Although the top few buttons of his shirt were undone and his tie was loose, he still wore the black jacket that held the Academy's crest.
She felt awkward standing there, without anything much to say. Luckily, Jason broke the silence for her.
"Jane Eyre, huh? Good book, the ending was worth the wait."
She looked at him surprisingly as they both began to make their way towards the front of the school. She could feel other people's gazes on her as she walked with him, and she tried not to feel uncomfortable. She was already trying to have a normal conversation, and with someone like Jason it was difficult for her.
At her surprised look he raised a brow teasingly, "What? I can't appreciate Charlotte Brontë because I'm a guy?"
Is this really happening? Her mind asked her incredulously.
It took a moment for her to reply. "On the contrary," she answered as they went through the school's entrance doors, "You should appreciate her work more because you are a guy."
Her answer earned her a smirk and a chuckle, and she felt like glowing from the inside.
Don't be so easily flattered! Jeez, it's only one guy! Where is your sense of propriety, Sophie? He's just making nice conversation. Jason Todd, of all people, with someone like you! Don't take it out of fucking context!
Her thoughts were interrupted when he turned towards her, "I see my ride, so I'm gonna head off. See you later, Sophie." He offered a lazy wave and turned, making his way down the stairs with his hands in his pockets. She watched him make his way to his ride and the butler, before waving back softly.
"Bye, Jason." She murmured softly, the breeze making her hair flutter.
