❄️His Snowflake❄️

16 - I'm In Love With You

Every step Emily took as they left Niles' mansion was a shaky one. She was quiet. Indecisive. Jason could see it in her eyes, in her walk, in the tremble with each breath and it floored him. He wanted to take her in his arms and not let her go, whether she told him what happened or not but she opted to sit with Rachel during the ride back to the tower, holding Rachel's hand tightly with no words and a blank stare.

He got off the bus first, bumping Dick's shoulder on purpose as he swooped past him. He waited for Emily to pop up, pausing as Rachel looked him in the eyes. She didn't have to say anything. He knew. Emily needed help. He climbed back on, gazing at her in silence and knelt down next to her, offering her his hand with a soft smile but she slid past him, ignoring the offer. She ignored him again when he stretched his hand out to her to help her off the bus and he shut his eyes, searching for what his next move could be. He hated feeling so helpless. He just wanted her to feel okay and he would do anything to take away her pain.

"Emily." Again, he was ignored. She entered the elevator, unable to even spare him a glance and walked past to her room, not noticing Jason had stretched out a hand. With a soft click, her door shut behind her and she willed herself to stay strong for a moment, unable to stop her legs from giving in from underneath her. She barely had time to start crying before Jason knocked on her door, saying her name again the softest she had ever heard him say it.

"Don't... Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Care about me. I don't need it, not now and especially not from you." In her head, she had said the exact opposite, however. Care about me. Oh, God, please care about me. I need it, I need it so much right now and especially from you, Jason, please...

"You know I won't leave until you come out. I can't leave you like this."

"Like what, Jason? You don't know what this is. You don't know me, we haven't even known each other up to a year." He coffed and she sighed, clenching her fists. "You don't even know what happened, you were unconscious, remember? You have no evidence that I'm not fine, how would you even know and why would you even care?"

Because I love you, maybe? He swallowed and dug his fingers into his forehead. Dammit, Jason Peter Todd, I know you did not just fucking think that. "Emily. I know that you're going through something right now. And I want to be there with you. I want you safe."

"There you go trying to control me again, just like my-"

"Don't compare me to her! I don't want to hear it! You can't chase me away, Emily. Open. The damn. Door." She kept quiet, further drained when he whispered, "please?"

Emily wanted to, she did but she had already messed up. She couldn't do it now, he would be ashamed of her when he saw what she did. He would hate her. He would yell or tell the others and she didn't want them to pity her, she just wanted to feel a little bit of something other than emotional pain for a while so she created a... different kind of pain.

"I can't let you see me like this. Please, just understand, I... I did something-"

"You did something?" She swore under her breath and smacked her head with her palm, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

"I'm fine. It's nothing, it's really nothing, I don't know why I said that... Just go away, Todd." Jason sprinted off, leaving Emily disappointed and alone as she heard nothing in response. Jason approached Dick and asked him to override Emily's door lock, not waiting to give an explanation when Dick, sensing his urgency, did it then asked why.

He panted heavily as he reached her door, scared his suspicions would be correct. The door slid open and she nearly fell through, gazing at him as she scrambled up with her arms folded. She flinched as her left arm made contact with her right, slowly looking up at him with tears in her eyes.