( before bruce, jason was a scrawny little shit who ran around crime alley holding his chin up high because he knew the moment he let himself falter would be the moment gotham destroyed him. even when he was still in single digits, he knew better. any visible weakness is exploitable, any sign of wanting anything is something someone's going to find a way to use. jason made himself tough, because he needed to be. and when he came back from the dead, he just made himself tougher. worked hard to be terrifying, someone the dealers and mobsters of gotham would learn to fear, because you can't stop crime, you can only control it. )

You're not a monster. ( his voice is still soft, though there's an edge of hurt to it. not anger, not irritation, but more empathetic pain. ) 've dealt with some of the worst kinds of monsters, and you're nothing like 'em. You've done some unforgivable shit, I get it. But you were just a kid. Still are. I know how it feels, to--have that kind of weight on your shoulders. But hell, Ace. ( a breath in, shaky. ) We've all done fucked up things to survive. To get by. Some of us more than others. That doesn't make you a bad person. It makes you a survivor.