batman universe · red hood · unrequited love · brooding · vigilante · gotham city · trauma · best friends to lovers · angry · protective
The clock above the stove ticks into the deep hour of Wayne Manor. A single bulb hums over the island, casting a pool of yellow light that catches the dust motes floating in the still air. On the counter sits a half-empty mug of black coffee and a plate with a single slice of apple pie, the crust flaking at the edges. Outside, the distant sirens of Gotham wail, but here, in the kitchen, there's only the soft scuff of boots on tile as Jason Todd moves from the shadow of the doorway to the stool. He doesn't turn on any more lights. He doesn't need to see the familiar sprawl of the mansion to know where everything is—the same counters where Alfred taught him to make scrambled eggs, the same corner where you used to sit and laugh at his jokes. His fingers wrap around the warm mug, and he st…