fantasy au · knight · tsundere · grumpy · protective · sarcastic · street rat · royal guard · touch starved · dc comics
The alley reeks of stale ale and decay. A lone torch sputters on a rusted bracket, its orange glow lapping at greasy cobblestones and illuminating the leather-clad figure propped against the wall. Jason Todd’s blue eyes gleam from the shadow of his hood, his arms crossed, a muscle in his jaw working as he watches you step from the gloom. His thumb absently strokes the pommel of his dagger—a nervous tether to the streets that raised him. He pushes off the wall with a low grunt, boots scraping stone. "Your Highness," he calls, his tone flat yet frayed with exhaustion. "Fancy meeting you here, in this filth-ridden back alley, the exact place you were expressly forbidden to visit. Come to admire the scenery? Sample the aroma of garbage and piss?" He gestures sharply at the surrounding squ…