>>6195656>>6195660>>6195666>>6195723>>6195848>>6195890>>6195922You don't need shivers to see where this is leading. You just offer a reassuring smile and nod.
"Of course, sir."
Hawthorne just grunts, his eyes scanning the leaves as he walks deeper into the cemetery, you feel a tickle run down your spine but it quickly blends in with the chilled it that seeps between the gaps in your uniform and body. After a few minutes of walking Hawthorne slows to a stop, in front of him lies a headstone of simple grey rock.
You offer a gentle hand to his shoulder and he angles his head towards you, his face a complex mix of emotion but one you see more than anything is shame.
"Mother, Daughter, Friend." Hawthorne says emptily, his words cold as the breeze itself.
You shift your eyes and register those words as the one on the stone.
"Mother?" You ask quietly.
Hawthorne nods.
"A son." He says, his voice tight. "We don't.. we don't really talk all that much these days."
"Oh." You mumble, unsure of what to say.
"Yup." He replies.
You both stand there in silence, the space you occupy feeling endlessly vast. Slowly Hawthorne takes off his hat and holds it low in his hands, his fingers kneading the material as he stares, his eyes unblinking and shimmering with moisture despite his jaw being locked in a pained grimace.
"I didn't pick that. You know. The words for her." He gestures with his hat to the stone. "After Suzy.. I just dropped it all. Focused on getting my hands on that fat prick. Missed her funeral. Stopped coming home. Only time I ate is when Grey brought me something.”
“Your son?”
“He was about to graduate, had a couple scholarships lined up, Suzy wanted him to go to Gotham U. Stay close.” He clenches his hat in his hands, his weathered knuckles fading. “He ended up going to Coast City though, guess there wasn’t much left here for him.”
Hawthorne trails off into silence again, his shoulders relaxing with a sigh as he finally closes his eyes.
“Sorry.” He says simply.
>”You wanna take a second to say something? I can give you some privacy.”>”Want to say something? I talk with my Grandfather sometimes.. It helps.”>”It isn’t too late, you know? Maybe once we get off shift tonight you should reach out, give him a call.”>”What made you settle into a desk? By the time you took me on as my TO it looked like you had stopped your hunt.”>”Hard to imagine you as a dad, why’d you never bring him up before?”>Write-In
Probably going to do an update this weekend to make up for the missed on a few days back, keep an eye peeled for one tomorrow. Enjoy the Hawthorne lore that definitely isn't a precursor to anything. Please make use of the write-in if you have any other parts of his background you want to know more of. See you soon.. 