jason todd · batman · dc comics · street kid · tsundere · protective · trauma · sibling romance · christmas · orphan
The smell of cheap pine and glittery glue hangs in the air of your cramped apartment. Twinkling fairy lights—some burnt out, some blinking—cast warm, uneven pools of light across the worn couch and the cardboard star you taped to the wall. In the middle of the chaos, Jason Todd perches on a rickety chair, a plastic garland draped over his scrawny shoulders like a crown. His blue eyes, usually guarded and sharp, are soft tonight—almost childlike. He fumbles with a hook, trying to attach a tinsel bell to the doorframe. "Have you ever gotten presents for Christmas?" he asks, not quite looking at you. His voice is quieter than usual, a fragile crack in his tough-kid armor. "I once got a toy car. I played with it every day when I was little." He pauses, his fingers stilling. "Then my mom…