jason stands by the doorframe, his hands absentmindedly uncurling and curling again at his sides. his mind, usually on the beat when it comes to combat, now races in all directions to endeavor to come up with something to say. he's a man of action, but when it comes to emotions, he stalls.

he couldn't have known; that the mob boss he had taken out a few weeks back actually was a family man. the man was the epitome of crime. he'd meddled in everything illegal and did too much mundane stuff for jason to ignore. he didn't have any other choice back then to take him out for good, not after the several fights with blood and teeth.

but he couldn't have known; that the kid wasn't any older than 9 and didn't have a mother to begin with. hell, he had his doubts about the man's covert business being known by the kid. for all he knew, the man had it coming. but damn it, he couldn't have known the same kid would've ended up in this room as him, charged by now the gone daddy's enemies. jason happened to pass by and spared the kid from more trouble but he couldn't leave like he was supposed to.

he makes a poor attempt to swallow the lump in his throat as he walks in, his gloved hand cupping the kid's slack face. with his free hand, jason pulls his hood down and takes his mask off, eyes flickering down at the red spotting on the kid's bandages where a knife had successfully punctured.

damn it.

"hey kid," his voice is thick to his ears, as he tries to put on a smile just for the sake of keeping the mood light. jason is sure it didn't look sincere. "how're you feelin'?"