Chapter 20: Careless

He should have known there was a reason Jess had texted and called him a few times that night, but he hadn't realized it until he'd been halfway through his patrol shift, traveling through northern Gotham. There wasn't anything in particular that had jolted his memory, but seemingly out of nowhere, the young hero had suddenly remembered what day it was.

So he'd decided to find her.

It'd been an educated guess on his part that she would be spending some time outside of the facility and somewhere on a rooftop, mourning her parents alone. Damian had felt guilty for not seeing the reason behind her asking if he was busy but figured he could at least offer her company as Robin instead.

Who would have known he would witness her cry in front of him twice, let alone at all, in the time he'd known her? Certainly not him. When she'd broken down that day at the ice rink, he hadn't quite understood what hurt her; he'd assumed it had something to do with her past, likely her parents as well… yet now that the girl had confessed to him—Robin, rather—how she truly felt about their deaths, Damian felt like he'd gotten another deeper glimpse at her and what she thought of her past.

Jess was afraid of herself.

More specifically, she was afraid of her powers and what she could (and couldn't) do.

Initially, he hadn't been able to fathom why she was being so open about her feelings with Robin, but then it made sense. He might have felt a certain way before about her finally telling the truth about why she was in the city—he recalled the time he had tried to investigate her whereabouts, and Dick had convinced him to do otherwise—but now, Damian found he couldn't blame her. Clearly, there were more than enough reasons holding her back from telling anyone about her past... and they'd only known each other for a few months.

He wouldn't have been surprised if she went back to Central City without telling him anything at all.

She'd been relatively quiet when he'd picked her up from the restaurant at the end of her shift, and part of him had interpreted it as either having nothing to say or simply being worn out from her night spent crying.

Damian himself had been weary lately, also for too many reasons to count.

Still, he'd made the effort to suggest they hang out, in part to make up for not having been there for her last night. Whether or not he'd mention it was up in the air, but in the meantime, he wanted a good distraction from the other day's failed attempt at revealing to his family that he no longer wanted to be Robin.

They made their way to the kitchen, where they were going to spend some time making vegetarian pizza—rather, the older teen was going to do most of the work and she would help him. Damian still was particular about his cooking and only open to his friend offering some assistance, mostly to benefit her and teach her a few things. In fact, he found that he trusted her behind a wheel a little bit more than he did at a stove or with a sharp knife.

"How was your day at work?" he decided to ask, wanting to make sure any conversation was focused on her for as long as possible.

Jess shrugged as she donned the apron he'd handed her and strode towards the sink to wash her hands. "It was fine," she answered over the running water. "Someone got upset at me because I told her that we'd canceled her reservation after fifteen minutes of no one showing up. That was fun."

"Mm," he responded distractedly, quickly and swiftly pulling all the necessary ingredients and tools from various areas in the kitchen.

"What about you? What've you been up to since I saw you earlier this week?"

Nearly disappointing my family.

Damian found himself shaking his head a little at his own mental response. It was a cynical but truthful one, wasn't it? A little melodramatic perhaps.

Part of him wanted to share it though, especially with someone who was at least good at listening or simply being there. Of course, Jess would never understand the half of it without important context unless he explained his entire upbringing and background... but even if he made it clear that he couldn't—wouldn't—tell her everything, she would be a hypocrite if she didn't respect his unwillingness to disclose his secrets.

That was what trust and patience was about, if he'd learned anything.

That and it still would take much more for him to say a word about his other identity.

He was lining up freshly-washed vegetables on the cutting board when she suddenly asked, "What happened to your hand?"

Widened, hazel eyes were drawn to the bandages around his knuckles, reminding him again about the other night. He hadn't really considered the fact that Jess was bound to notice, not when he'd known his own family would see it and likely not blink an eye.

But Jess, unlike everyone else, was not used to seeing him in less-than-perfect physical condition, and that was evident by the look of both concern and disbelief on her face.

'I hurt my hand while moving furniture.'

'I was helping my father in the yard when...'

'Dick accidentally slammed the car door on my hand.'

"I... lost control," Damian confessed, hesitation in his careful tone. "I was upset about something."

Jess was silent, her gaze flickering between his hand as he continued to chop the vegetables and his face even as he didn't look up from the cutting board. She didn't speak for so long, he wasn't quite sure she would at all.

He was contemplating changing the subject when she told him to stop.

Raising an inquisitive brow, Damian paused in his chopping motion and looked up at her. There was an unreadable expression on her face as she patted the stool next to her. When she saw the look he gave her, Jess rolled her eyes in a way that was almost annoyed before saying, "Damian. Sit next to me. Please."

Her voice. It was quiet and void of that usual playfulness it held, and that alone made him realize she was being unusually serious. So he set down the knife and rounded the kitchen island, wiping his hands on his apron before sitting as she'd requested.

Green eyes full of scrutiny and curiosity looked over her as she turned in her stool towards him, staring at his wounded hand. Jess seemed to be contemplating something, hard, because there was a wrinkle between her brows and a slight rise in her shoulders as she took a deep breath. Her eyes met his briefly before she reached out and took his bandaged hand in hers, which was trembling ever so slightly. Jess held her other hand above theirs, and that was when Damian realized with an ice cold shock what she was doing.

A voice in the back of his head was telling him to stop her, to keep her from making a possible mistake, but instead, the young man let her use her powers, staring at their hands.

That familiar, glimmering aura lit up the space between them. He could feel a faint sensation in the skin of his hand, in the spots where he'd bled from the glass and in his knuckles. It must've lasted seconds, but it felt like long moments as he watched the peculiar light, and then her trembling hand that had healed him was gently pulling away the bandage. He knew what to expect but was blown away nonetheless at the perfect skin underneath, not a sign of injury or even a scar in sight (except for the small one he'd gotten a few years ago at the base of his thumb).

Tearing his gaze away and looking up at her, Damian felt her remove her hands and place them in her lap. She wasn't meeting his eyes, her own turned down to his hands. Was she too afraid to look at him?

Suddenly aware of his heart thudding in his chest, he found his voice. "You have powers," he said evenly, almost quietly.

Hazel eyes met his, very briefly, before latching onto a place somewhere on his t-shirt. That slight, anxious wrinkle was persistent between her brows. "My parents and I found out when I was ten," she began.

"It was Valentine's Day. I bought my mom flowers with my dad, but we had gotten to the store too late, so all the half-dead, ugly ones were left. We got the best one we could find anyway. Later that night, during dinner, we had them on the table with us. I was looking at them, you know, just admiring the colors, smelling them." She paused, taking a deep breath through her nose, gaze still on his chest. "I remember that I was thinking and wishing they were more lively-looking. I wanted them to look less dead, less brown. Next thing I knew, when I was reaching out to touch them, my hand... it had that glow you saw.

"I've really only told one other person before, my old best friend from back in Central City. Maybe she's told other people now, I don't know. I kind of don't care. But..."

Damian remained silent, still watching her as she attempted to gather her thoughts and words. The unease was apparent in the way she was twisting the ring on her finger and continuing to avoid his gaze.

"I guess I'm just tired of not feeling like I can trust anyone, you know? I'm tired of keeping all this stuff to myself… Maybe it's a bad idea, maybe I'm being irresponsible telling you, but at this point, I feel like it doesn't matter. I do trust you. I don't know why, and I know it sounds super cheesy, but I do.

"And while I'm at it, I might as well tell you... I'm here on probation." Her voice cracked a little, prompting her to clear her throat before going on. "After my parents died, I ran away while living with my aunt—who really doesn't give a shit about me, honestly—a couple times. Then I ran away for good, spent—I don't know, less than a year?—on my own before getting caught up in the wrong crowd.

"I... I did a lot of bad things with them. I helped them... steal and hurt people, I—" Jess huffed a sigh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She was silent, staring down at her hands. Then she spoke again.

"So now I'm here. I've been doing community service at the library—that's the favor I told you about. And the reason you've never seen where I live is because... I'm at a youth shelter facility. That's where I met Misty."

Damian certainly had never expected her to unload all of this on him anytime soon let alone all at once like this. He'd assumed she would take more time to open up, maybe weeks, even months. Perhaps she would have at least explained her probation but left out the part about her being a meta-human.

But to have essentially confessed everything he already knew about her? What had driven her to do so? It couldn't have truly been because she simply trusted him... could it?

"I was afraid of what you'd think of me, honestly," she was saying, finally meeting his gaze. Hazel eyes were filled with anticipation and something like sadness. She tried to laugh, but it failed to alleviate her obvious discomfort. "You could hate meta-humans for all I know... but I figured, 'What the hell?' Worst case scenario is we stop being friends, and it wouldn't matter when I go back to Central City."

A long, long moment passed before she said, "Are you... going to say something?"

Her eyes were running over his figure, looking for a sign, a reaction.

Truthfully, he'd never considered how he would react to her finally opening up to him about her secrets. The only thing he'd known for sure was that he wouldn't tell her he had already known them all.

That was a given.

"I don't know if any of what I said even makes sense—"

"None of that changes what I think of you."

His words seemed to shift something in her. He saw it in the way her brows rose ever so slightly, how her eyes widened in surprise. Perhaps she'd been expecting him to say something more critical (because he was who he was), but it was the truth. He'd already started to see her differently after Titus's passing, in ways that contrasted what he'd initially thought of her. If anything, he found himself admiring her decision to be honest despite how new their friendship was and how she'd seemed so reluctant for them to grow closer.

"Really?"

"It makes sense, in fact. All the secrecy, why you never let me pick you up or drop you off at the facility, the day you were hungover."

"Yeah..." She looked away again. "I... feel bad for keeping all this from you. I mean, I just recently told Misty, but... you're different. I didn't want you to think any less of me."

Something about the way she said it sent a pang through him, and Damian found himself leaning a few inches to the side to catch her wandering gaze. When she finally met his eyes, he said, "I don't. Think less of you, that is."

She was smiling a little bit then, eyes lighting up with relief. "I don't think you know how much of a relief it is, telling the only friends I've had in years about all this…"

Then she added, "You're surprisingly… chill about this. I'm kind of impressed."

"Is that meant to be a compliment?"

"Well, I mean that you're usually blunt and, uh, kind of emotionless sometimes? I wasn't sure if you'd understand... Don't look at me like that. You know what I'm trying to say."

The two of them fell silent, the previous tension in the air dissipating as things seemed to go back to normal... a new normal, though. Damian could still detect some apprehension in her.

"There's something else on your mind," he said simply, earning a deep breath from her.

"I don't get how you read me so easily like that."

"Your face gives it away."

"Figured as much," she mumbled before continuing in a quieter voice, "I would've healed him, you know. I've never done it before, but I would have at least tried if I'd known..."

Knowing what she was referring to, Damian felt the hurt tugging at his heart, a pain that had just recently started dulling. The wound was still fresh though, and her words poked at it and made it throb.

"I know," he told her, looking away. "But I wouldn't have expected you to."

He wasn't sure he would have let her… even if there was a chance it would have worked.

I've had enough experience with people trying to meddle with—or reversing—death.

"Damian?"

"Hm?"

"You're sure you're not... upset or anything?"

Damian examined her face, reading the worry in her eyes. Why did she care so much about what he thought and how he felt?

"I'm sure."

Hazel eyes landed on his newly-healed hand. "How does it feel?"

Opening and closing it, then holding it up between them, he shrugged. "Perfectly fine." Moving his gaze from his fingers to her, Damian added, "Thank you."

The ghost of a smile touched her lips then, and she responded, "Let's just not make it a habit, yeah?"

He merely nodded, but memories of the night he'd lashed out at the display case were replaying in his head.

I'll make no promises.

"Why did you call me last night?"

The abrupt question seemed to catch her off-guard, making her meet his eyes for a split second before looking away.

"Last night was…" She gave a tired sigh, turning in her stool to rest her elbows on the kitchen island, shoulders slumped and gaze resting on the cool marble. "It's been two years since the car crash."

Admittedly, Damian was anticipating she would begin crying again, but he was reading exhaustion in her wistful figure. Perhaps she was tired of crying. "I'm sorry," he then told her.

"Don't be," Jess responded, glancing at him with more of a smile than before. "As painful as it was, it wasn't... as bad this year, I guess."

Hmm. That was intriguing to hear.

Instead of telling her to explain, he said nothing, giving her the chance to elaborate if she pleased. As often as he seemed to ask her questions, it appeared she wanted to discuss these things anyway, regardless of what he said or asked.

"I was alone when I woke up in the hospital, and I was alone last year on the first… 'anniversary,'" she said. Her brows were furrowed, and then her hazel eyes met his, something in them sparking. "But this time around, I don't feel as alone.

'Cause I've got you."

The atmosphere was quiet and serious again, but only for the briefest of moments, because she was reaching out to lightly punch his shoulder, a sly grin on her face. "How's that for corny?"

And then Jess stood from the stool and walked around the island, stopping in front of the cutting board with the vegetables. Damian was still processing what she had just said when the blue-haired teen reached for the knife.

"Do not touch that knife."

"I can cut them, can't I?"

"I would rather not have you bleeding out in our kitchen and take you to the hospital."

"Your lack of confidence in me is just a little bit insulting… But I guess this is a good time to tell you I can actually heal myself 'cause, you know, meta-human powers and all that."

"That doesn't make me any more willing to let you handle that 6-inch blade."

"But—"

"Jessica."

A sigh, then "Fine."

'Cause I've got you.

She'd lost track of time again.

Misty had left Kade's house much earlier, and in hindsight, Jess should have gone with her. But the opportunity to play more video games, watch a movie, order pizza, and another supply of stardust had the blue-haired teen telling herself "just another hour or two."

It was shortly after eight now, and though that wasn't bedtime, it was close to the facility's curfew—plus, nightfall had already arrived. The sky was a dark shade of blue, stars faintly dotting its canvas and blanketing the city in a slight chill as Kade drove through the streets, Jess in the passenger seat. Both of them were in a haze of stardust, muscles relaxed and minds sharpened and focused. Jess was staring out the window, watching Gotham's streets pass by in bright lights that held her attention, making her vaguely make note of sitting on another rooftop sometime while on the recreational drug. That'd be pretty, wouldn't it?

"Is this the spot?"

Kade was pulling off to the side in front of the bookstore, the one that wasn't too far from the facility. A few pedestrians littered the sidewalks, but not nearly as many as there usually were during the day. They looked to be in a hurry, and Jess couldn't blame them.

"Yup," she told him, unbuckling her seatbelt and glancing over at him. "Thanks for the ride."

Despite the night and the warm, yellowish wash of street lights, his cool, grey eyes still seemed to pierce her as he tossed her a smile. "Anytime," he responded as he shifted the car into park. "Oh, before you go."

He twisted in his seat and reached for something in the backseat, the movement sending a whiff of aftershave and cologne in her direction. She couldn't quite describe the specific scents in it, not in the few seconds she could smell it, but it definitely smelled good. Damn.

That was something else she'd noticed about being on stardust. Her senses seemed to heighten, especially smell and taste—not only was she able to concentrate better and take notice of details she usually wouldn't, but the teen could also experience things in a more receptive state. That was probably why they were always eating when they got together for their sessions.

Huh. That made a lot of sense now.

Having sat back in his seat, Kade was holding something out to her: another small baggie of the sparkling drug. "Your refill," he said, the corner of his mouth lifted in a faint grin.

Taking it from him, she thanked him and pocketed the baggie before reaching for the door handle. Right as she was about to pull it, she heard her name.

And as soon as she turned around to face him, his lips were suddenly on hers, startling her. Reflexively, Jess pulled her head back and watched as Kade did the same, his eyes wide at her reaction.

"I... sorry," he managed to say, lowering his hand that had been about to touch her face. "I thought... I mean, I wanted..."

She had no idea what he was trying to say, but in that fleeting moment, all she cared about was that he'd obviously done it for a specific reason, even if he was having trouble explaining it. All this time, Jess had never thought he'd ever be interested in her, and it had been an easy conclusion to accept. Sure, she still got those cliche butterflies in her stomach whenever he grinned at her, and sometimes she caught herself staring at his side profile or the shape of his forearms—a strange thing, but according to the internet, apparently she wasn't the only girl who did this?—but not once had she ever thought he'd see her as more than a casual friend.

Well, she must've been wrong then.

"Sorry," he said again, retreating further into his seat, embarrassment taking over his handsome features.

Heart galloping and body suddenly flooding with heat, Jess grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him towards her, initiating a second kiss. His cologne was stronger now, filling her nose, and she could faintly taste the beer on his lips as he seemed to recover from shock, leaning into the gesture with a hand behind her neck.

She'd always imagined her first kiss to happen in a variety of ways, but if anyone had ever told her it'd happen like this, in the guy's car, in the middle of Gotham, she probably would have just shaken her head. It sounded so textbook, so "teen romance novel," didn't it? But here she was, doing exactly that... while under the influence of a drug that only amplified her experience, everything she felt, tasted, smelled.

Something about the situation felt like a door being unlocked. No, it was more like taking a sledgehammer to the thick padlock that barred anyone and anything from entry. After everything that had happened in the last few weeks, particularly after finally opening up to and being honest with Damian, Jess found that she just wanted to stop being so... careful. It'd been a feeling that had surfaced even before her first party with Misty, but it was much more apparent now in the way she didn't care that Damian knew some of the most vulnerable parts of her, that she was kissing a guy who she'd known for... well, she didn't care about that either.

Maybe the street they were on was empty with no witnesses, maybe it wasn't, but any worry that she would've normally possessed was practically nonexistent as Jess let herself become consumed by this moment. She was almost breathless when they finally broke apart, his gaze seeming to keep her in place even if she tried to move. Heat was rising in her cheeks and she prayed that he wouldn't see it, but Kade was grinning then, his hand moving from her neck to her jaw and leaving a trail of warmth.

"I have to be honest," he said, his cool gaze landing on her mouth. "I've been wanting to do that for a while."

She realized then that she was still holding his jacket in an iron grip; Jess released it, a sheepish look on her face. "I never would have guessed," she admitted.

"Well, I tried pretty hard to make sure you didn't know." He removed his hand from her face, much to her disappointment. But his eyes were still roaming over her, making a peculiar tingling sensation run over her skin and down to the pit of her stomach. "Because honestly, I thought you were taken."

Jess couldn't help the baffled look that crossed her face, her nose scrunching in confusion. "Really?"

A laugh escaped from him. "Yeah, really. You mentioned someone named 'Damian' once or twice, so I asked Misty who he was. She said 'Damian Wayne,' so I thought, 'Well, there goes my chance. She's hanging out with that Wayne guy.'"

"You thought... I was dating Damian. Wayne."

His dark brows rose for a brief moment before Kade chuckled again. How is it possible for one to be so attractive just by existing?

Jess mentally kicked herself then for sounding like such a hormonal teenage girl. Get a damn grip, Jess.

"Well, yeah," he responded. "I mean, you can't blame me. The guy is really good-looking, I won't lie. And I've rarely seen him hang out with many people, let alone girls that weren't already his girlfriend, so..."

"Then how'd you find out we're just friends?"

"Misty figured out why I was curious. I don't think she got it when I first asked, but just randomly the other day, she brought it up and I told her that, you know, I thought you were cute."

Oh man.

If her body hadn't listened to her a few minutes ago when she felt the heat in her face, it certainly wasn't listening to her now. That heat was everywhere now, flushing her entire being with both flattery and embarrassment. And it didn't help that Kade was still looking at her that way, like he wanted to kiss her again.

Not like she'd stop him.

"Not sure why Wayne would pass up being more than friends with you, but hey, I'm not complaining," he then said with a shrug and a smile.

"Um, wow," was all Jess could manage to say as she processed this information.

Before she could even attempt to say anything useful, her phone buzzed in her pocket. A quick glance at it had her sighing a little—it'd been her nightly reminder that she had thirty minutes to get to the facility by curfew, one she'd set after the night she had gotten way too inebriated.

And her probation officer hadn't failed to scold her for the slip-up, emphasizing that even small mistakes like that could affect her probation terms.

"Shit. I have to go. Sorry."

"No need to apologize to me. I'm the one that kept you."

"Yeah, well, I'm kinda glad you did," she answered with a slight grin, feeling a little bolder than she had several minutes ago.

"Just 'kinda'?"

She didn't have a chance to answer because he was kissing her again—for the third time, god—and this time, his hand had found her side, where the bottom half of her body was bare and exposed due to her crop top. Whether it was intentional, Jess's skin crawled with tingles where his fingers touched her, and she had to gather the courage to break the kiss and lean back, also breaking the contact with his hand.

"Maybe more than 'kinda,'" she replied breathlessly, eliciting another crooked grin from him.

Yep, she definitely needed to head out before she allowed herself to get too wrapped up in this newfound experience.

After finally bidding him goodbye, Jess headed down the sidewalk, speed-walking in the direction of the facility. Her mind was engulfed in the ever present shock and disbelief that Kade was somehow interested in her, so when the voice spoke from somewhere off to the side in an alleyway between two businesses, she almost paid it no attention.

"You're more careless than I thought."

Halting in her steps, Jess turned in the direction of the unknown speaker, heart jumping into her throat. She couldn't really see anyone outside of the nearby lamp post's light, which only made her much more apprehensive about who was talking to her in the dark on an empty Gotham street.

"And who would you be then?" she managed to ask, stepping backwards once as her hand itched reflexively at her side.

A figure stepped into the edge of the yellow light, and he wore a leather jacket along with a familiar red helmet that first made her breathe a sigh of relief and then almost roll her eyes. Admittedly, a small part of her had thought it was Robin, who she'd just seen the other night, but it was a different hero this time.

Unable to help herself, Jess crossed her arms and asked, "What's with you masked heroes and your dramatic entrances and exits?"

He'd caught on to the plural. "'Heroes,' huh? Who else have you been meeting up with that I don't know about?" Even though she couldn't see his face, the facetious tone of his voice—even in the slight robotic modulation his helmet was giving him—painted the picture for her. He was probably wearing that impish grin of his.

"Why are you following me?"

"Geez, always so straight-to-the-point and defensive. Must be the time you spent on the streets."

Great. Another hero who knew everything about her past. It'd been one thing for Batman and Robin to know, and at least that made sense since they'd, well, hunted her down.

But Red Hood?

"I don't really think that's your business," Jess countered, looking him up and down. Her gaze lingered momentarily at the handguns on his waist.

"You're right. I don't really care about your history," he said with a shrug. "I'd be a hypocrite to say anything about it, really. But that thing you've got in your pocket there? That's my business."

Brows furrowing, she looked down at herself before glancing back up at him. Her phone? Her wallet? What was he referring to?

"What are you talking about?"

"Doll, don't do that with me. I can tell you're tweaking on it."

"I'm what?"

He heaved a sigh, which was kind of strange on his rough, slightly intimidating appearance. And then Red Hood was approaching her, making her want to move away though her feet felt rooted in place. His towering figure stopped within a yard of her, making her heart thump harder in her chest. Despite being convinced she wasn't afraid of him and even knowing what he looked like under the mask, there was still something about his heroic persona that made her breath catch in her throat.

"Your pupils are dilated, you've blinked almost twice as often as a sober person would within the last minute, your nose is wrinkling at the faint stench of the dumpsters at the back of the alley... and I saw your little blond boyfriend hand the little bag to you, so..."

Cold realization washed over her followed by hot humiliation. He saw us. He saw him kiss me.

"Oh, I stopped looking after the first time, don't worry," Red Hood was saying then, waving a hand at her and shaking his head. "I'm just really glad that was all you did because that would've been really awkward—"

"Seriously. Why are you following me?"

"Because you're high on stardust, and you probably shouldn't be."

Raising a brow and standing her ground, she asked him why. Who was he to tell her what she could or couldn't do?

"You don't pay attention, do you? Someone's already ODed on the stuff. Got sent to the hospital and had to pump it out of his intestines and shit. Pretty sure he's around your age, too."

She couldn't lie... This was definitely news to her. Jess didn't know anyone else other than Kade and his brother who used it—Misty couldn't care less since she had the same attitude about it that she held for alcohol—so she certainly had no clue who he was talking about. But was it really something she had to fret over? Could it be that that specific instance was simply just a one-off?

"I'm careful," was all she said.

"I beg to differ, but I'm not here to argue with you on that. Why don't you tell me instead where your boyfriend gets his supply?"

"He's not—" Jess gave an exasperated sigh before making a dramatic shrug. "I don't know. He knows a lot of people. Could be anyone."

And that was true. Kade was like Misty; they knew a lot of people, still hung out with their classmates and friends, had those parties, somehow were always running into someone they knew when they were out in the city. Sometimes it made her feel left out, but then again, she was in their hometown, not hers.

"Mm," he said, crossing his arms and probably scrutinizing her from behind his helmet. "Yeah. That's not helpful at all."

"Why are you asking me for information? Shouldn't you be able to figure this out on your own?"

He let out a sharp laugh. "I can, actually, but seeing that you happen to be tangled up in this stuff, too, I figured I could find out what you know. That and my methods don't exactly apply here, so I have to be... less violent." The hero seemed to shudder at the thought, making Jess raise a brow.

Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she said dryly, "You mean you can't grab one of us teenagers and beat us up for information."

"Hey! I'm not the only one who does that to people around here."

"Okay, well, I really don't know anything that could help you out. So if you don't mind, I'm going to be on my way without being followed..." Her foot moved in the direction of the facility, but the man seemed to ignore her implication.

"I'm surprised you're not wondering how I found you."

Well, she was curious about that. However he'd discovered she used stardust and found her here was beyond her, yet there was no room to be shocked at this point. In fact, the teen was just getting used to it. It was strange to say it almost felt normal.

"I'm used to you guys doing that by now," Jess responded dully, glancing down the street to see if anyone was witnessing their encounter. They were surrounded still by quiet and lamp posts.

"There you go again with talking in plurals. Who else is wearing a mask and bothering you besides me?" She could practically hear the smirk in his voice again.

"Since you've been so kind about asking," she replied, sarcasm heavy in her tone, "I've run into Robin a few times."

There was the briefest pause, but she barely thought anything of it because Red Hood was then tilting his head curiously. "Is that right?"

"Yeah. So why don't you go bother him about stardust instead of me? I'm sure he'd be able to help you out."

He chuckled again, but this time, it sounded darker, rougher, sending a chill over her skin. Weird.

"What?"

"See you around, doll," he was saying, taking a step backwards into the alley he'd appeared in. "And have your boyfriend walk you home next time. This is Gotham, after all."

With that, the red-masked hero was out of her sight, leaving the teen standing in an empty street with the bag of stardust burning a hole in her pocket.

Note: i'm sure some of you were eagerly awaiting Jason's reappearance, so here it is hehe. i'm really excited for what i have planned regarding him and Jess and how that will affect, well, other things and people. if we're being technical, it's another sideline story underway, so you'll certainly see more of him.

same goes for Kade. i know a few of you left reviews about him (and i TOTALLY get why) but his connection to Jess is obviously important for a reason i cannot say just yet!

also... SHE FINALLY TOLD HIM lol. i feel like Jess was just fed up with holding onto her secrets, and she's at a point where she thinks she can trust again (but she's well aware of the risks and potential consequences). now we just have to wait and see if that was a good decision on her part... o.O

thank you (y muchas gracias) for the reviews, follows, faves :) :)