Petrichor [J.T.]

Chapter 9 - Red Hood

"Please, don't be mad, Sammy."

His voice. Sam would know that voice anywhere and she freezes. Her heart feels like it's just plummented to streets below them because it can't be him. It's her mind playing tricks on her. It has to be because he's dead. She knows for a fact he's dead. This is some cruel joke he's playing, somehow.

Maybe she really did piss him off. If he has her phone number and knew she'd meet him here, in uniform, maybe he knows more. Maybe he knows Jason was Robin and they were together. Their social media feeds were consumed with each other. It was obvious. Maybe that's what this is. Some mind game as payback for going after someone he wanted to kill himself or someone he wanted to recruit for his new crime family. It has to be. Because Jason Todd is dead.

She looks over at him slowly, seeing the green eyes that haunt her in her dreams now. There's the mark near his left eye he's had since they met. She memorized where the few freckles are and they match on Red Hood. He's the same height as Jason. His brows are knitted together in the same way Jason always did when he was thinking and pleading with her for something. The only difference is his hair. Jason doesn't have a white streak. So, it can't be him. He's dead.

Sam moves away from him quickly, putting her hand out in front of her as it glows neon green. She gains a scowl as she clenches her jaw. Not him.

"Tell me who the fuck you are before I melt your sorry ass!" Sam yells at him. She doesn't care what he's capable of. If Red Hood wants to play this game, she'll play right back and she'll go down swinging. It's not a joke and it's just cruel.

Jason faces her, eyeing her carefully. He knew she wouldn't believe him. She's smart. She's going to make sure he's real. But it hurts anyway.

"It's me." Jason states holding the helmet on his hip. "I swear, alright? It's me."

Sam shakes her head as she feels her eyes grow warm and the tip of her nose warm. Her eyes start to water and it's actually embarrassing. She can't actually stand here ready to kill him while crying. Whatever his endgame is, he has to be winning because her hand starts to shake and she swears it's not him.

"No...because I-I...no." Sam's words are rugged and breathy. "I found him." Sam mutters through gritted teeth. "He's dead." Sam sucks in a breath, keeping her stare on him. "You're. Not. Him."

Sam knows it can't be him because that's not possible. It's not possible that someone can die and come back to life. Bruce had an autopsy performed even. Even if there was a way, there was an autopsy. How can someone come back from that? She read the report, she saw the pictures. That is real. Can he survive being bludgeoned with a crowbar and then being embalmed? That doesn't make any fucking sense. And if he were really Jason, why wouldn't he come to her as soon as he comes back to life? Why would he become Red Hood first? Why would he go to Molly first? She saw him, cold and pale and lifeless with autopsy scars on a slab. This isn't Jason.

Jason's heart drops because she never should have been the one to find him. He knew she would. Jason remembers every thought he had before everything went black and he remembers knowing she'd come because she'd always come to find him. But, he was really, really hoping he was wrong and it was anyone else. It just had to be her. Jason doesn't know what the damage was but he has a pretty good guess it was pretty ugly and mortifying. It wasn't enough that he literally died, but it had to be Sam to fucking find him.

And his heart breaks with the look she's giving him because Sam has always trusted him. But right now, just by the scowl and vibrancy of the green of her hand, he knows she doesn't. She has to believe him. She has to.