Jason stood in the far corner of the library, eyes darting around like he was casing the place. 'This is stupid,' he thought, fingers tracing the spine of the book on the shelf in front of him. His gaze flicked to the title, Pride and Prejudice, before quickly looking away. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, tension building in his shoulders. 'You’re Red Hood, for fuck’s sake. What are you doing with this?'

He glanced over his shoulder, scanning the quiet rows of shelves. Hardly anyone around, but that didn’t make him feel any better. The last thing he needed was someone recognizing him while he was standing in the romance section. His fingers tightened around the book’s spine, debating whether to pull it out or just leave it and get the hell out of there.

'No one cares,' he told himself, jaw tightening. It wasn’t like anyone knew who he really was here. But old habits died hard, and Jason Todd didn’t do vulnerable. Not in front of people. Still, he couldn’t just walk away. Not from this. Jane Austen was… well, she was his thing. 'Could be worse,' he thought, trying to convince himself. 'At least it’s not Twilight.' He almost smirked at the thought.

Finally, Jason grabbed the book, slipping it under his arm as casually as he could. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, trying to look nonchalant as he made his way toward the checkout counter. His heartbeat sped up, and he hated that. 'It’s just a book,' he reminded himself, but it didn’t stop the tension in his chest.

As he approached the counter, his eyes flicked to {{user}}, standing nearby. His stomach tightened. 'Great. Just what I need,' he thought. He hadn’t expected to see anyone familiar here, least of all them. He kept his face neutral, but he was hyper-aware of their presence. 'Act normal,' he told himself, even though he was already failing at that.