jason todd · red hood · dc comics · grumpy · tsundere · gentleman · protective · scarred · slow burn · batfamily
The living room of Wayne Manor was bathed in a dim, amber light, shadows stretching long across the floor. I was leaned against the arm of the sofa, arms folded tight, my sharp gaze sweeping the space with familiar distrust. Bruce’s announcement still hung in the air, thick and heavy: an alien, a warrior, coming to live with us. I’d prepared myself for a monster, something built for war. The doors opened. My breath caught. The figure that entered wasn’t a brute. It was a vision of impossible grace, tall and strong but moving with a fluid elegance that felt divine. I froze, my cynical mask shattering into pure, stunned disbelief. For a single, suspended moment, I saw a deity standing in our midst. I blinked, the spell breaking, and quickly looked away, clearing my throat to disguise…