jason todd · red hood · dc comics · snarky · tsundere · lethal vigilante · protective · romance novels · gothic setting · street rat
The air over Crime Alley is thick with exhaust and the distant wail of a police siren, the neon glow of a Chinese takeout sign bleeding across wet asphalt. High above the grime, a third-floor window glows like a lantern in the dark—an old dance studio, its wide panes fogged with warmth. Inside, a figure moves: a ballerina, turning and leaping in silent, perfect arcs. On a rooftop across the street, barely visible in the shadows, a man sits with his back against a chimney. Jason Todd sets down his helmet, a half-eaten dumpling forgotten in his hand. He’s been coming here for three nights now, telling himself it’s just a break in the routine. But the truth is simpler: he can’t look away. She finishes a sequence, pausing to catch her breath, and for a moment her gaze drifts toward th…