Chapter Text
Jason Todd has pit rage. He also has a weird sentient but also not sentient monster within him that causes that rage. It latches and stems from his trauma, creating an angry barrier around it.
Anything that makes Jason feel the slightest amount of anger that had been somewhat traumatic pisses him off.
Sometimes Jason thinks that it’s actually the Lazuras pit that did it. Maybe it’s a mental barrier to shield Jason from the worst of his memories. The pit just…threw a dramatic flare to it
The sentiment is appreciated most times. Most times being when Jason is alone and not surrounded by people and when he’s not being influenced to kill.
Sometimes when he goes out and fights on his snappy days, his mind conjures up the images of those he hates the most. He sees the clown in every person he shoots. He sees his mother—not Catherine, never her—in every other person.
Sometimes, he even sees Bruce.
But alas, the pit does weird things to Jason. If this is what Ra’s deals with in his somewhat immortal life, then Jason has half a mind to forgive the lunatic for being a little crazy.
But Jason’s noticed something… new . His safe house(apartment. He actually lives here with the other residents of the building acting like he’s normal and definitely not dead) has grown on him.
All of Jason’s favorite items are here: his books, favorite guns, a few pictures he took of old pets, favorite tea and spices/herbs.
It’s all here and it’s his. His pets, his building, his residents—what?
That. That is the new thing! Jason no longer feels the pit flare under his ribs when he spots on of his neighbors being nosy. It no longer flares when the old woman below his apartment brings him cookies after a rough night.
She always says the same thing every time but the last time she had shown up, something new happened.
“Sunny boy,” she greets with a warm smile.
Jason’s chest heaves with anger. His eyes are definitely not their usual not glowing blue. He’s agitated, twitchy. He wants to kill and hurt and injure. But he can’t do that. Not if he wants his plans to go correctly. He had settled for mutilating his apartment.
He’ll regret it the moment the pit finally dies out.
“What?” Jason grits out, struggling to look somewhat normal.
The woman smiles warmly at him. It makes him angrier. He wants to punch the haggard old bitch and maybe stab—
“I’ve made you cookies,” she holds up a plate of cookies. They’re brown and look…delicious.
“What?” He asks this time, more confused than angry.
“It’s my special recipe,” she nods, shoving the plate into Jason’s hands, “triple chocolate brownie cookies. I heard you liked velvet and strawberry flavors? What do you think about velvet cookies with strawberry frosting?”
Jason held the plate of cookies. The pit simmered under his ribs but it traveled up to simmer in his chest. It’s different. The way it reacts to this woman.
Almost trusting. And Jason finds that he too is trusting this old lady below his apartment and her cookies. He’s heard the rumors. An immortal old woman who bakes for the residents whenever they feel low. She always knows everyone’s favorite foods even if you’ve never interacted.
Jason stared at the still smiling woman for a few moments. She waited patiently.
“Uhm,” he felt the words lodge in his throat. He clears it and nods, “yeah. Yeah, I’ve got a sweet tooth for velvet n’ strawberry.”
“Alright hunny,” she nods looking determined, “wrap those knuckles of yours and clean that mess up.”
The sudden switch from that calm tone to the sternness of an old mother snapped Jason to attention immediately. He turned his head and stared at the mess. Dread dropped into his gut and the pit gently whined beneath his skin.
He turns back to the woman and startled. She’s gone. Jason gapes and looks out his door. He glances left and then right and left again and sighs. She’s gone.
He returns inside and closes the door gently. He stares at the mess he made and the red rimmed hole in the wall. Fuck.
Jason looks down at the cookies and the pit purrs . Purrs? What?? Jason thinks back to the woman. And then his neighbor who smokes outside the balcony every night at the same time. Then he thinks about the woman who’s always reading magazines in the downstairs lounge area.
The pits purring grows tenfold and Jason finally realizes it:
He’s fucked and this is definitely just the beginning.