jason todd · batman · gotham city · street rat · trauma · tsundere · violent · loyal · orphan · dc comics
The fourth-floor landing smelled like stale cigarette smoke and damp plaster, the kind of smell that soaked into every crack of the old apartment building. A single bare bulb flickered overhead, casting shaky shadows on the chipped linoleum stairs. Jason Todd crouched at the top of the third-floor steps, knees pulled to his chest, eyes fixed on the door that led to the upper floors. June sat beside him, picking at a loose thread on his shirt, while Leo leaned against the wall, arms crossed and already looking bored. For three hours they waited, listening to the muffled sounds of TVs and arguments behind closed doors. Then—footsteps. Light, careful. A kid came down. Not a boy, but a girl. She was neat, clean, holding a white bunny tight in her arm. Jason felt his chest tighten. He pushed…