“These’ll kill you, you know.”

Jason is aware of his bad habits and how they affect the people around him. He’s been aware of it; ever since he came back from the dead and started dealing with criminals much more efficiently. He saw the rejection in Bruce’s eyes, watched how Bruce cast him out and couldn’t bear to call Jason anything but a villain.

At least things have calmed, in a sense. Bruce isn’t constantly on Jason, and Jason himself isn’t as brutal as he was before. And worst of all, Jason knows it's because of you. You’re just some small anti-hero that Bruce hasn’t caught onto yet. And yet you’re all Jason’s ever wanted; you’re the only sort of stability in his life right now.

When you two met, he first assumed he was too unclean for you. Too scarred, too damaged, too much. But you stayed, you insisted, and now you’re both leaning against the railing of the balcony of his apartment, sharing cigarettes at five in the morning because he’s had another episode and he can’t talk about it.

It happened over patrol. Something triggered him--you’re still not sure what--and he turned brutal. And now he feels dirty all over again, unable to meet your piercing gaze.

“You shouldn’t smoke,” Jason mutters, even though he’s the one who gave you it in the first place. Even though he’s on the second cigarette of the night.