j.todd x f!reader- After a rough night of patrol, Jason comes across a blind woman who's walking home and befriends her.
notes: just some fluff, based on veil manga by kotteri
The first fall of snow in Gotham City was always so beguiling, at least to Jason Todd; by the next day, the streets would always be filled with snow salt and sludge. But the first snowfall was picturesque, similar to a scene that Jason would read out of his favorite novel. It reminded the man of simpler days, where heâd spend his days at Wayne Manor having snowball fights with his older brother Dick, afterwards going inside to curl up by the fireplace and read.
Nowadays, snow days arenât as magical as they used to be. Instead of laughter and warmth, Jason was met with the blood-stained streets and the bitter cold pricking at his skin. He also figured that as you grew up and started to see the horrors of life, that sort of magic disappeared (and believe it, Jason has had his fair share of horrors in life).Â
Tonight wasnât different than any other night; there was the smell of weed enveloping a group of hooded men near the corner store deli, the sounds of screams piercing through the night, and the coppery tang left in Red Hoodâs mouth when he swiped his tongue over the cut on his busted lip.
He looked down at the crook who was trying to sell some illegal substances to teenagers earlier, now with a mangled face and busted up ribs (courtesy of Red Hood himself). The bastard thought itâd be a bright idea to try to get a couple of hits on Red Hood, and although he held up a pretty good fight, Jason basically bashed him into the ground.Â
âP-please, Mr. Red Hood, I was just trying to make some money.â the crook begged, trying to get up. The manâs eyes screamed for mercy, and Jason couldnât help but think how pathetic he looked. That man knew what he was doing when he sold those drugs to the kid, and Jason made him pay the price. Â
âStay down,â Red Hoodâs modulated voice came out threateningly as he put his boot over the manâs torso and began to slowly apply pressure to his chest. The crook began to wheeze, and Jason heard a crack coming from the manâs ribs. A shriek pierced the night, but they both knew that one would come to rescue him. Jason pulled his foot back, and the man had seemingly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. He coughed up some blood and he gave a little smirk at Jason, his smile stained with red. âOh, thank fuck, man. I really thought I was a gonerâ what are you doing?â
The crook watched as the Red Hood took out a handgun from his thigh holster and pointed it to him, the fear he had only a few seconds ago settling back in. Jason, on the other hand, was smirking inside the helmet. He stepped closer, the sound of his boots echoing in the alleyway, until he loomed over the bastard and held the gun to his chest before pulling the trigger.Â
Red Hood wasnât one for pleasantries; once he found his target, he never hesitated to put a bullet through them.Â
The manâs screams were swallowed by the sound of the gunshot ringing through the air, and the cold breath had stopped coming out of his mouth. Red Hood could see the blood spilling out of the manâs upper torso and onto the cement, where the red had stained the beautiful white snow from the previous night. He smirked to himself in satisfaction, knowing that the bastard got what he deserved and that the children were safe from those dangerous drugs. He couldnât bear to see any of these promising young kids become just like his mother; battling with addiction while making empty promises to the people you loved. He looked over the scene one last time before getting his grappling hook, throwing it to the nearest ledge and soaring upward to the Gotham night.
Some nights heâd be working alongside Nightwing or Red Robin or Batgirl, but for the most part, Jason was alone. He was told often that he was bad at communication with his fellow vigilantes, and his ideologies werenât exactly similar to the Batmanâs.
But it wasnât like he minded being alone. In between his familial affairs and his job at the fire department, there was just too much in his brain throughout the day, but the serenity of night allowed for Jason to be alone with his thoughts.Â
He landed near Broad Street, in the alleyway next to a coffee shop he often frequented with his friend Roy. He slumped against the wall, trying to catch his breath before he could continue to grapple. Just a few more blocks, and heâll be back at his place, where he could spend the rest of the night indulging in classic literature and drinking hibiscus tea.Â
When he looked around to spot anyone watching him, he didnât expect to see a young woman walking the streets at this hour. The first thing Jason noticed was the beautiful clothing she wore; a red pea coat and a pair of designer heels heâd seen Steph wear once. It was something so simple, yet the woman made it look so elegant with how she walked so gracefully.Â
Jasonâs eyes narrowed when he saw the cane in her hand, curious as to why a blind woman was out so late at night when it was so dangerous. Before he could wonder any further, Jason noticed that something fell out of her pockets, and he straightened up and walked outside of the alleyway to pick it up.
It was a light blue handkerchief, neatly folded and clean, but now smudged with a little grease that was on the sidewalk. He carefully walked up to the woman, making sure not to startle her, and turned off his voice modulator to sound less like a threat. âExcuse me, maâam?â
You turned around, looking up at him with a curious expression. He noticed immediately how you clutched your purse and reached for something in your pocket (perhaps pepper spray?). âYes?â
Your voice was soft and melodious, unlike the usual booming voices that cut into the Gotham atmosphere like a looming threat. You didnât belong here, and no less in a place like the Bowery. Jason nodded, âYeah, uh, you dropped your handkerchief.â
He held it out near your hands, and you took it, brushing your fingers against his palm. You held the handkerchief close to your chest before smiling, âThank you. What are you doing here so late at night, may I ask? Are you a policeman?â
Jason chuckled at the thought of being a part of the police force. He had little respect for the GCPD, seeing that their methods of enforcement were often ineffective and did not help the crime rate in this city go down. âYeah, somethinâ like that. You know, you shouldnât be out this late either. Whatâs got you strollinâ around here so casually at this hour?â
âWell, Mr. Policeman,â You began, and Jason felt the corner of his mouth tug slightly upward at your nickname. âIf you must insist on knowing, I work at a clothing shop here.â
You pointed past his shoulder, and he turned around to see a small clothing shop nestled between his favorite coffee shop and a tattoo parlor. He raised an eyebrow, âThe Nifty Thrifter, huh?â
âYes. Itâs a really silly name, donât you think? Thatâs what I told my coworker, but she wouldnât listen to me. It isnât even a thrift shop. Most of the clothing are designs of mine from a couple of years ago, so it should really be more of a boutique.â
Jason looked down at you, noticing how your face turned into a pout when you began to criticize the shopâs name. It was cute. âYeah, itâs a little ridiculous, alright. Whereâs your coworker anyway?â
âOh, sheâs long gone if you wanted to catch her.â Jasonâs brows furrowed when he saw you clutch at your jacket as a breeze came in. âSheâs a mother and wife, so sheâs gotta leave earlier to pick up the kids and all that. Itâs my responsibility to close up shop.â
âShe leaves you to close up shop alone?â Jason asked, his voice a little sharper. It was an irresponsible decision on your coworkers' part; having you close up shop and walk home alone this late at night.Â
You furrowed your brows, lifting your chin a little higher. âIâm perfectly capable of closing up shop myself, if thatâs what youâre sounding so doubtful aboutâ
âNo, sweetheart, thatâs not what I was worried about.â Jason shakes his head. âI just donât think itâs very safe for you to be out late at night in this area especially. You donât have anyone to drive you home? No friends or family or anythingâ
You paused at the manâs question. You didnât go out much besides for work, so you didnât have many friends. Since moving here, you havenât had any friends, really. Your family was out of the question; you could never go back to your home. âNo, I donât have anyone.â
Jason saw the way you were lost in thought for a second before answering, and he found himself wondering what had happened to your family or what would make your friends so busy to not even pick you up from work. He stepped closer to you, and you felt the heat emanating in his body. âCan I walk you home? I mean, if thatâs alright with you.â
âI would appreciate that, thank you.â You held out your hand for him to take it. Jason stood there for a second, not really sure on why he was hesitating. It felt wrong to have his blood stained gloved hands intertwined with your soft, manicured ones. You chuckled, âDonât be so afraid, Mr. Policeman. I donât bite.â
Jason smiled at that before taking your hand in his. Your hands were freezing cold, and he couldnât help but hold your hand a bit tighter. âItâs just Jason, sweetheart.â
âJason it is,â You mused, telling him your name and where you lived. âWe must hurry, though. I donât want to miss the new episode of this new soap opera. Oh, I must explain it to you.â
âIâm all ears,â Jason said as he led you further down the block.
As Jason listened to you ramble on about love triangles and cancer diagnoses, he found himself smirking softly. It was true that he wasnât expecting to cross paths with anyone tonight, but as soon as he gave you that handkerchief, he couldnât help but feel drawn to your presence like a moth to a flame. He supposed his hibiscus tea and Madame Bovary could wait an hour; there were bigger problems at hand now, and she was probably the most endearing problem Jasonâs ever come across.
a/n (not edited!): I'm so excited for this. Since Veil is basically a series of blurbs, I would continue writing some random blurbs about Jason and Reader. I also didn't want to make the Reader exactly like Emma, so I based more of her fashion sense to a bit more modern times (since I think Veil is more 20th century based), so she's 'modeled' after Nanny Fine from the Nanny.
Also the title is based on Harry Styles' song. I just always thought it reminded me of Aleksander and Emma :)