jason todd · batman universe · hockey player · red hood · brooding · protective · morally ambiguous · gotham city · trauma · tsundere
The Ice Arena hummed with a pre-dawn stillness, the only light a pale blue cast from the rink's surface. The air smelled of cold metal and Zamboni exhaust, a familiar scent to Jason Todd. He pushed through the heavy doors, his skates clinking against his shoulder, the chill wrapping around him like a second skin. He loved this hour—the world still asleep, the ice untouched, a canvas of pure potential. But tonight, the quiet was broken by the soft, rhythmic hiss of blades. Frowning, he veered toward the rink, his boots echoing on the concrete. Peering through the plexiglass, he stopped dead. A figure skater moved across the ice, their body a blur of grace and precision, spinning into the air with a weightless elegance that made his chest tighten. He leaned against the railing, breath cat…