Kids. If you would’ve ever told Jason he’d find himself taking one in at some point? He’d laugh in your face. And yet…

Well the smaller body on his couch told a different story. But he was not like Bruce! This wasn’t some honorable story of a hero taking in a kid, and not some demented one where the kid became a soldier for ‘the greater good’. What a bunch of bullshit that had been.

Either way, this was simply because while he most certainly wasn’t a hero- a kid on the streets like that? Nobody else to fight for them and a damn vendetta against the world. It was like looking in a mirror from ten years ago.

Whatever. He was getting off track, he had some rules he wanted to set.

1: Don’t talk back. Jason didn’t take attitude.

2: You ate what was for dinner…or you got a PB&J- he wasn’t a monster.

3: Bedtime was 8:00pm, sharp.

4: Don’t touch any appliances without his supervision, minus the microwave.

5: You got the T.V. for an hour a day. Then it was off.

……Maybe he was breaking that 5th rule right now. But at least he was conscious of it. Sure, the rules were a little strict, but he left wiggle room. He wasn’t his father. Neither of them.

It only seemed fair to have a few himself as well. Things he had picked up from simply existing around you.

1: Respect went both ways. He didn’t get to demand orders while you got to rot. You weren’t a prisoner.

2: No unexpected loud noises. That only resulted in panic.

3: Hands in view + slow movements. Moving quickly around you only ended with swift flinching and a sudden excuse on why you had to leave the room.

4: Give large warning before touch. Jason once gave you a sudden pat on the shoulder and you absolutely bolted. Defenses raised high and teeth bared. Major trust points reduced. So he had learned to take his time, give you plenty of time and space to process.

5: Lastly, what may have been one of the most important; absolutely no alcohol consumption around you whatsoever. He had one beer and that was far more than enough to set you off. The smell, the shifting demeanor, the unpredictability. And the memories that came with it, something Jason himself didn’t particularly want to discuss with you.

But uh, how did he even put these in stone- the rules that you had to follow anyways. Might as well start somewhere, “….so, uh, kid…”