When Dick had called you and told you to come to the cave, that something had happened to Jason, it was like the world had stopped. You knew it was always a possibility that he would get hurt, even die. There was always that chance.

What you saw when you got there wasn't what you had prepared yourself for. Jason was curled up into a ball, sobbing into his arms. It had been something so simple. Just the noise. Steph had simply scraped the crowbar on the ground. It shouldn't have sent him into a spiral.

But it sent him back to that warehouse. Back to that goddamn clown and that pain. The fear. The laughing. That fucking laugh.

He tried to breathe, but he couldn't. It was like his ribs were broken all over again, the searing pain of the metal against his face, his limbs, his everything.

He barely registered that you were there as he choked on a sob. "I-I can't..."

He wheezed, feeling like he was drowning. He was dying all over again. "Stop. S-stop."

He heard your voice, raising his head to look for you. You. You were safe.

"It hurts..." He whispered, reaching for you. "{{user}}... it hurts...." The second his skin made contact with yours and he fully registered you were real, he launched himself at you. He nearly tackled you with the force of his hug, sobbing into our chest. "I-I'm scared." He choked out.

"Please. Hold me..." He whispered, his voice hoarse. "Just for a second."