𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬…

❀ Masterlist ❀ ao3 ❀

✦Requests are open ✦

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐧…

ＣＯＤＥ ＲＥＤ

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐬…

☆ Jason Todd ☆ Nightwing ☆ Enjin ☆ Vi ☆

Dividers - Bead Headers ❀ Post Stamps ❀ Washi Tape ❀ Craft dividers

Washi Tape

This is a bit random because I mostly just post fanfics, but I was bored and wanted craft themed dividers.

A reality tv-show played in the background while you moved around the apartment. 

You had swept and mopped the floors, wiped the counters, washed the dishes and packed them away. 

It had been a quiet but productive afternoon. With nowhere you needed to be, you’d decided to finally tackle the chores you’d been putting off all week.

You carried a glass of water over to the window, pulling the curtain aside before carefully watering your hanging plant. Once you’d finished, you made yourself a cup of tea before settling onto the couch with your phone. 

The reality show continued in the background as you scrolled aimlessly, only half paying attention. 

Every so often, your eyes drifted towards the front door before returning to your screen.

The TV rolled into another episode. 

It was fairly late when you decided to throw some food in to have for supper.

The apartment filled with the hum of the oven while you returned to your spot on the couch. The TV had long since switched to a true crime documentary that you weren’t really watching.

Every now and then your eyes drifted towards the clock in the kitchen.

Then the front door.

Then back to your phone. 

Eventually, the oven timer chimed softly in the kitchen.

You stood, pulled your dinner out and plated it before settling back onto the couch. 

You were a few bites in.

Click

The front door opened.

Jason shuffled inside, kicking off his dirty boots with a dull thud while keeping his duffle bag in hand. 

He looked tired.

His shoulders sagged and his movements were stiff. 

“Hey,” Jason greeted.

“Hey,” you sat up a little straighter. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” he mumbled, making his way towards the kitchen. “You?”

“I’m alright.”

You watched him shrug off his jacket and shove it into his bag. A fresh bruise bloomed on his forearm where his sleeve rode up and his knuckles were raw. 

He caught you looking and his hand moved to cover the bruise almost instinctively.

“You sure everything’s okay?” you asked.

“Mhm.”

Jason opened the fridge and pulled out a container of leftovers before sliding it into the microwave.

The silence stretched between you.

You chewed the inside of your cheek.

He’d basically been gone for days, came home bruised, and could barely look at you anymore. 

“What have you been up to lately?” you asked while taking a sip of your drink. 

Jason’s shoulders stilled for a brief second.

“Just been busy,” he said quietly. 

Vague as always. 

You wanted to ask what exactly was keeping him so busy. Why he often came home looking like he’d been in the ring.

The conversation with Alyssa drifted back into your mind.

The lack of any trace of Jason online.

Combined with everything else…

What if whatever he was doing wasn’t entirely legal?

You didn’t like that thought. 

BEEP BEEP

Jason pulled the container out of the microwave. 

“I’m gonna eat in my room,” he said, already turning away. “I’m tired.”

“No stress,” you gave a small nod. “Night.”

“Night.”

You watched his bedroom door click shut. 

Later that night, you sat cross-legged leaning against a headboard with a book in hand. You’d been staring at the same page for the last five minutes, with a sigh you closed it and set it on the bedside table.

Your thoughts were stuck on Jason. 

“It’s been busy.”

That seemed to be the answer for everything lately.

You rubbed at your face before swinging your legs over the side of the bed.

“Nope,” you muttered to yourself.

You padded out into the hallway and to the bathroom. The light was harsh as you flicked the switch. 

For a moment, you simply stared at your reflection.

“You need to stop thinking about him.”

Jason was frustrating and secretive and grumpy. 

You splashed cold water over your face before patting it dry with a towel.

And annoyingly hot.

You frowned at yourself in the mirror.

“And weird.”

Jason wasn’t all bad. Every now and then, you’d catch glimpses of the other side of him behind his aloofness. The one who draped a blanket over you when you fell asleep on the couch or offered to make supper for the both of you.

He was just so confusing. 

You gave your cheeks two pats as if that could reset your brain.

“There.”

You turned the light off and wandered back to your room.

Anything else, you could think about literally anything else. You lay back down in bed with your hands on your stomach.

Redhood.

“Fuck.”

How had the fight with the meta gone after you’d left? Had he gotten hurt? Did he properly treat the injuries if he did?

You fiddled with your fingers. 

You knew barely anything about him or even who he really was. You didn’t know his name or what he looked like beneath the helmet.

Yet being around him felt easy. You didn’t second guess every conversation with him. 

Red was careful. Even in the middle of the fight with the meta,  he made sure you were okay first. Despite the intimidating helmet, you weren’t afraid of him. There was a quiet kindness that didn’t quite match his reputation. 

You squeezed your eyes shut. 

Everything felt uncertain. 

The pipes groaned in the walls. 

You really hoped Jason wasn’t doing anything illegal. 

Maybe he was just dealing with something. Whatever it was you wished he’d let someone help him. 

Next Chapter

Taglist: @loserinadress ☆ @jasontood3904000 ☆

(If I forgot you or you want to be added let me know)

You finished taping down the patient’s IV line. You double checked his chart before leaving his cubicle, closing the curtain behind you. 

The ER buzzed with its usual beeps and muffled phones ringing. 

A moment later Alyssa stepped out of the neighbouring cubicle. You peeled off your gloves with a sigh before tossing them into the bin. 

Alyssa opened her mouth to say something. 

Unfortunately, Nurse Bell spotted both of you from across the department first.

“You two,” she pointed between you and Alyssa. “Paperwork.”

Alyssa groaned. 

“None of that,” Nurse Bell said. “Off you go.” 

Begrudgingly, the both of you shuffled toward the charting area.

Ten minutes later you sat hunched over various patient files beneath fluorescent lighting. One of the bulbs was flickering, resulting in a headache behind your left eye.  

It had been a few days since the fire alarm incident and Jason had caught you staring at him like an absolute creep. Either he had gotten majorly busy since then or he had withdrawn from spending time with you...

Again.

He still greeted you in the sightings of him in the hallway or the kitchen, but that was it really. Brief conversations.  

“Good morning.”

“Morning.”

“You working later?”

“Mhm.”

And then he’d disappear back into his room or out the apartment before you could think of anything else to say. 

You chewed on the tip of your pen while working through another file. 

Did he even like you at all? 

Had he noticed you looking at his scars and decided you were some perv. 

God. 

Did he think you found his scars bad? Or that you were gawking at him?

You pressed the pen harder against the paper. You dropped a finished folder into the completed pile and pulled another toward you. 

Jason was impossible to read, and it was starting to itch at your brain. 

You flipped another page in the chart. 

“What you thinkin’ about?”

Alyssa’s voice broke through the noise in your head.

“Hm?”

“You’re glaring a hole into the desk.” 

You blinked and realised you’d stopped working. With a sigh, you dropped the pen onto the desk and leaned back, you considered lying and saying everything was fine. 

“My flatmate is confusing,” you admitted while spinning slowly around in the chair. “And sketch.”

Alyssa perked up. She leaned her elbow on the desk before propping her chin on her palm.

“Do share.”

You spun once more in the chair before stopping yourself with your foot. 

“He always dodges my questions about him or answers in the vaguest way possible.”

“Mmmmm,” Alyssa hummed. “That does sound dodge.”

“Right,” you rubbed your face. “And the worst part is that he’s hot.”

“Oh, we’re in trouble,” she said with a teasing grin. 

“But he’s so up and down,” you grumbled. “One day he’s kinda sweet and nice, then the next he’s distant and secretive.”  

Alyssa doodled on a sticky note while listening.

“He says he works in security,” You continued. “But I don’t know something feels off.”

“What kind of security?” She asked.

You shrugged, “just some sort of freelance thing.”

Alyssa sat back, “Oh he’s definitely suspicious.” 

“Right,” You spun around again. 

Alyssa tapped her pen thoughtfully against the desk before dropping it. 

“Let’s look him up and see if anything pops up?” Alyssa said, pulling out her phone.

“That feels invasive.”

“He could be a felon.”

You rolled the chair next to her, “fair enough.”

Alyssa unlocked her phone.

“What’s his full name?” 

“Jason Todd.”

Alyssa typed it in and you leaned over to watch as she scrolled. 

And scrolled. 

Nothing popped up. Well, not nothing but the results for random Jason Todds scattered across the internet but none of them looked remotely like him.  No social media accounts or random photos. 

Nothing. 

Slowly, both you and Alyssa turned to look at each other. 

“What the fuck?” Alyssa whispered.

“I know.”

“That’s not normal.”

How could there be absolutely nothing?

“Is he a criminal or something?” Alyssa mumbled.

You shrugged, “I doubt it.”

But didn't sound nor feel convinced.

Alyssa continued scrolling, “you’re telling me this guy in his twenties has zero online presence?”

“Apparently,” you said.

“That’s concerning.”

You rested your chin against your palm thoughtfully. Maybe there was a reasonable explanation. 

You didn’t want to ruin everything by jumping to conclusions. You stared at the results for a second longer, it was all just so confusing. 

Then Alyssa noticed Nurse Bell walking in the direction of your station and you both snapped back to working. 

Pen in hand you stared down at the chart. 

Plenty of people were private.

Plenty hated social media. 

Yet something just felt off. Like every time you almost got comfortable around Jason, he pulled back before you could get too close. 

Once Nurse Bell was out of view Alyssa nudged your shoulder. 

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” you glanced at her. “Just confused.”

She nodded, “I get you, but try not to overthink it too much right now.”

“You’re right,” you said with a sigh. 

But even as you looked down at the chart in front of you, your thoughts drifted anyway. Because the more you thought about Jason, the less sense he seemed to make. 

Alyssa tossed a piece of scrumpled piece of paper at you. 

“There’s a fair coming uuuuup,” she looked at you. “You could go and forget about everything?”

You bit your lip.

“But didn’t the police say to avoid that type of stuff?”

“It happens every year,” she shrugged. “It will have a bunch of security.” 

You put the now completed file on the pile between you.

“I’ll think about it.”

Alyssa grinned, “that’s all I’m asking.” 

You felt like you were moving through honey as you climbed into the driver seat of your car. 

Everything from your feet to your brain ached. 

At least the walk to your car had been shorter since you’d started parking closer to the entrance. 

You tossed your bag onto the floorboard of the passenger seat then you started the car. Before pulling out, you checked Gotham Watches for any update on your route home. A few disturbances popped up across the city.

Attempted robbery in Burnley

Caution meta human activity in UpTown 

Police chase near Robbinsville

Nothing major near your route home though. 

Thank God.

It was around 22:00 by the time you finally left the hospital. The city outside blurred while music played softly through your speakers.

You tapped your fingers against the steering wheel in beat with the song. 

A gas station ahead caught your eye.

After your long shift you deserved a sweet treat. Without much thought, you pulled into the parking lot. 

The cold night air bit sharply against your skin as you stepped out of the car and made your way past the pumps toward the convenience store. 

The inside buzzed with lighting that did not help your headache while refrigerators hummed against the side wall. 

Only a few people lingered inside this late. 

You wandered through the cramped aisles grabbing a few different snacks.

“Hi,” you greeted while setting everything onto the metal counter.

The cashier nodded tiredly before scanning the snacks one by one. 

“Anything else?”

“No thank you.”

He gave the total without looking up. 

A second later you grabbed the plastic bag and headed back outside. You couldn’t wait to finally get home and rot peacefully in bed.

You were already thinking of what you to do when you got home.

Maybe you could watch a movie? There was that new horror movie that had just released onto streaming.

You opened your Sprite while walking toward the road and lifted your foot to cro-

A car door flew across the parking lot in front of you.

Your entire body froze. 

The metal slammed into a parked car hard enough to shatter the window.

Your eyes widened. 

The door was followed by a person rolling across the road. A person you quickly recognised.

Nightwing. 

Another figure landed nearby hard enough to crack the tar beneath him.

He was large and scary and most likely a meta. 

Your stomach dropped, you knew you should move. 

You really really should move.   

Unfortunately your feet refused to cooperate.  

Then a third blur entered the scene. 

Redhood. 

Nightwing flipped back to avoid a punch while Red fired at the meta. Concrete shattered nearby as the larger man threw something toward them. 

It was all a blur that you were far too tired to process. 

Your Sprite slipped from your hand and hit the pavement. The sound seemed to catch Red’s attention. 

His helmet snapped to look at you and he paused. 

“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” his modulated voice cursed.

Despite the active fight happening behind him, he started making his way toward you. 

“Are you hurt?”

Under any other circumstances you would’ve been happy to see him. You were relieved, but with the fight unfolding behind him your brain felt completely overloaded.

You opened your mouth to answer but nothing came out. 

Red lightly grabbed your shoulders and shifted you to face away from the meta.

The movement forced your brain to focus on him.

You blinked hard and took a deep breath.

You handled stressful situations on the daily, you could manage this. 

“I know it’s a lot,” his voice was soft despite the situation. “But I need you to focus.”

You swallowed hard before finally nodding

“I’m okay.”

“Good.”

You barely had time to process the relief in his voice before his arm wrapped around your waist. A startled yelp escaped you as he sharply manoeuvred both of you sideways. 

Something crashed into the ground where you’d been standing. 

“Can you stop flirting and help me!” Nightwing called out.

Red glanced up briefly.

“Give me a second.”

Then he looked down at you, still keeping his arm around your waist. 

“Where did you park?”

“Over there,” you answered while pointing across the lot. 

Unfortunately, your car sat directly behind the fight. 

Red stared for half a second. 

“You really need to learn how to choose better spots, doc.”

“Hood!” Nightwing called again.

“I know,” Red shouted back.

“Maybe you should go help him,” you said. 

“He’s fine,” Red replied while shifting his grip on your waist. “Hold on tight.”

“What? Why? Re-”

THWIIPPP

The grapple launched upward and the ground disappeared beneath you. 

You made a noise that was a mix of a gasp and a scream as Red pulled you tightly against him while the two of you shot across the parking lot.

Wind whipped violently past.

You wrapped your arms around the back of his neck.

Redhood landed smoothly near your car.

Your knees threatened to buckle as your feet touched the ground again. His grip tightened on your waist to steady you. 

“You okay?” he asked quickly

You stared up at him slightly breathlessly.

The white lenses of his helmet reflected the gas station lights while distant sounds of fighting echoed behind him.

“I think so.”

“You think?”

“I’m processing.”

“Can’t blame you there.”

He gently guided you to your car with a gloved hand on the small of your back. You unlocked the car and he opened the door for you. 

“Let your roommate or someone know when you’re home, okay?” he said. 

You didn’t want to leave him, which felt deeply unreasonable considering there was an active meta human fight happening. You also knew staying would only make things harder for him.  

You nodded slowly.

“I will.”

Behind him something exploded loudly. Nightwing yelled something you didn’t quite catch. 

“I should go help,” Red said.

But he still didn’t move right away. 

Your fingers curled lightly around his bicep before you could overthink it. 

“Probably.” 

For a second, he just looked down at you through the white lenses. Then you forced yourself to climb into the driver seat. 

“Be safe or at least don’t get hurt, okay?”

He seemed to hesitate for a moment. 

“I’ll try, Sweetheart.”

Before you could think of a response he was already moving. A blur disappearing back into the fight. 

You didn’t linger long afterward.  

The second the road ahead looked clear enough, you started the car and pulled out of the parking lot while the meta was distracted. 

Your heartbeat still hadn’t fully settled by the time you reached the next traffic light. 

But despite the fear and adrenaline still buzzing under your skin… you couldn’t help the giddy feeling at the thought of how Red had helped you. 

Next Chapter

Taglist: @loserinadress ☆ @jasontood3904000 ☆

(If I forgot you or you want to be added let me know)

It will be uploaded soon, just need to edit and such <33

My block was so bad with this one that it actually feels like an accomplishment to have done it. Can't say it will be amazing buuuut hopefully it means I will be able to get back into the flow of writing.

Chapter 26 and 27 will be out hopefully this week. If you’ve been following on my tumblr it hasn’t been long since I’ve last posted, on my ao3 it’s been a hot sec😭

I’ve flown back for the holidays, I’ve been working on a big gift for my best friend annnnnnnnnd I’ve had a major block for these chapters. So that’s why it’s been a while.

Fingers crossed I can lock in

The next morning you woke up feeling like you’d slept for maybe twenty minutes instead of several hours.

There was a stubborn ache in your mid back that refused to leave.

You scrolled on your phone for a while, just enjoying your day off.

The apartment was still quiet, besides the usual background noises of the city and neighbours.

You shuffled into the kitchen in your pyjama shorts and one of your old university shirts, already making a beeline for the kettle. 

You needed caffeine before you could even begin processing your life.

And oh boy was there a lot to process.

You pressed the heels of your hands against your eyes.

The sound of a door opening echoed down the hall, and you dropped your hands from your face. 

Jason walked into the kitchen looking equally exhausted.

His hair was messy, the white the streak was more pronounced as it curled upwards and there were circles beneath his eyes. He wore a black shirt and grey sweats, one hand rubbing over the back of his neck as he headed to the fridge. 

“You look like hell,” he said.

"Wooow," you gawked at him in mild offense. “You should see yourself.”

Jason snorted, “that bad?”

“That bad.”

The kettle clicked and you turned to make your coffee.

Jason shuffled around in his cupboard, before closing it with a grumble. 

“Want coffee?” you asked, reaching for his mug.

“That be nice.”

You made it for him and handed it to him.

You leaned back against the counter and took a sip of your coffee.

He watched you and tilted his head.

“How’re you feeling?” he asked.

You chewed the inside of your cheek.

“I’m okay, I think.” 

Jason nodded slowly, you could practically feel his blue eyes analysing you. 

“You sure?”

He had probably heard about the hospital situation too, it seemed like everyone had at this point.

“Maybe,” you said, looking down into your mug. “I think I just need some time to digest everything, you know.”

He moved to stand beside you.

“Yeah, I get you.”

Jason held your gaze as you looked up at him.

“Did you get home late?” you asked.

“Mm,” his shoulders shifted and he broke eye contact first. “Around four.”

You nearly choked on your coffee.

“Four?” you repeated. “Doing what?”

Jason glanced at you for one very brief second before turning back to the fridge.

“Just work.”

You watched him pull leftovers from the shelf. There was a fairly large scrape on his elbow today.

You frowned slightly, “Is your elbow okay?”

Jason glanced down at it like he forgot it was there.

“Yeah,” he replied while sliding the plate of leftovers into the microwave. 

“What happened?”

“Occupational hazard.”

You blinked, “that explains absolutely nothing.”

Jason shrugged pressing the buttons on the microwave. 

"You get hurt a lot on late shifts?" you asked.

For half a second, he paused.

"Pretty much."

“Jay.”

“Hm?”

“You are one of the most suspicious people I’ve ever met.”

“That’s dramatic.”

“No, it's not.”

“Maybe I’m secretly a criminal.”

You narrowed your eyes.

“Jason.”

The microwave beeped.

“Relax,” he said, pulling his plate out of the microwave. “I told you I’m in security.” 

“There you go,” you pointed at him. “That was almost a normal answer.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

He moved around you to get to the lounge. Your shoulder brushed his as he passed and the warmth from the contact lingered on your skin. 

You sipped on your coffee to distract yourself from those feelings. That attempt only brought up thoughts of Redhood and flashes of last night. 

Good lord. 

You glanced over at Jason who was slouched on the couch with his food while scrolling on his phone. 

You needed more coffee and maybe some alcohol.

You were sprawled across the couch scrolling through Gotham Watch catching up on everything you’d missed after avoiding your phone for the last 20 hours. 

Apparently, a lot.

Armed Men Storm Gotham General

You grimaced and swiped past the first headline.

Yeah.

You definitely did not need a recap on that one. 

Nightwing and Red Hood Spotted in Burnley During Late Night Drug Bust

Your thumb slowed.

There were several grainy photos once you clicked on the headline. They looked like someone had leaned out a window and snapped them in a hurry, which meant most were blurry.

One photo caught your attention though. 

It was Red mid-fall from a building with some sort of cable attached to one of his ankles. 

You zoomed in.

“Oh my god,” you mumbled to yourself.

You probably shouldn't have laughed, but you did.

Luckily, he looked like he was mostly fine in later pictures. 

After another minute or two inspecting them, you continued scrolling. 

Baby Face Gang Pull Off Diamond District Toy Store Heist

You blinked at the headline.

"Not these idiots again."

Apparently, they had escape prison, you hadn't even heard about it.

You snorted and kept scrolling.

Investigation into Bombings Continues

The amusement faded almost instantly. 

Most of it repeated information everybody already knew. Recapping the first midtown incident and then Castle land. Casualties. Witness reports.

But near the bottom a statement from GCPD had been highlighted in bold.

Citizens are advised to avoid densely populated public gatherings until further notice while the investigation remains ongoing. 

Public gatherings? 

Couldn’t they have been at least a bit less vague. 

You reread the warning twice before locking your phone and pressing it to your stomach. The lounge didn't feel quite as comfortable anymore. 

Your mind drifted back to the last incident. 

The teenage boy asking if he could call his parents.

They probably think I'm dead.

You swallowed and closed your eyes.

You really hoped the GCPD would figure this out before anything happened again. 

Then your phone buzzed in your hand. 

It was a text from Marie. 

“Nononononononononono.” 

You yanked the pan off the hot stove plate as smoke filled the kitchen, glancing up at the fire detector while turning the oven off.

“Please don’t,” you coughed, already waving a dish towel over the pan.

The smoke didn’t stop.

BEEEEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEP

The sound was horrific. 

“It’s fine!” you announced. “Nobody panic.”

The alarm continued screeching. 

Jason appeared in your peripheral.

“Are you trying to gas us out?” he asked, walking past to open the windows.

“Shut up,” you huffed. “I got distracted.”

“I can see that.”

"I just want to remind you," you glared playfully at him, “That I cook successfully all the time.” 

Jason grabbed another dish cloth from the counter and started helping wave smoke away from the detector. 

“Whatever you say, Sweetheart.” he teased.

You faltered mid-wave, heat rushing to your cheeks.

Jason seemed to be very intent on trying to clear the air with his towel.

The alarm continued to rattle your skull.

“It’s true,” you mumbled. 

You dropped your arms and glared up at the detector.

“I think we need to silence it ourselves,” you said.

“Right,” Jason tossed the dishcloth on the counter.  

“Alright,” you stepped aside. “Reach the thing, giant.”

He rolled his eyes and reached to feel up the alarm for the button.

You tried very hard to focus on the task at hand instead of the fact Jason apparently slept shirtless. 

Jason found the button and pressed it.

The alarm didn’t let up.

“Huh,” you said.

“Stupid shitty building,” he grumbled while wiggling the detector and pulling from the ceiling. 

He fiddled with the alarm that was still blaring in his hands.

You closed your ears with your fingers as you watched him.

Jason managed to get the cover off, but the batteries refused to come out.

He slowly looked up at you with the most done expression you had ever seen from him.

The laugh that erupted from you made you put both hands on your knees. 

“Yeah, laugh it up,” he held up the detector. “We still have to deal with this.”

Still mid laugh you grabbed your phone to pull up the trusty Wikihow, it had saved both of your ass's last time. 

This felt slightly like Deja vu.

Jason marched into the bathroom. 

“Uh uh,” the blaring made it hard to think.

Jason emerged with the alarm wrapped in his towel, the sound slightly muffled.

“Okay, right,” you said, glancing at the towel bundle. “That's good, it says to uh put it under the couch or in the freezer.”

He didn’t hesitate, swinging open the freezer door, throwing the alarm inside and slamming the door. 

It was like heaven. 

The sound was still faint through the door, but more manageable.

Both of you relaxed. 

Jason moved to eye the ruined pan still cooling down on the stove top.

He glanced at you, “you’re banned temporarily.”

“You can’t ban me from my own kitchen.”

“Watch me.

You crossed your arms but smiled despite yourself.

Jason moved the pan to the sink to soak.

“Hungry?” he asked.

“A little.”

“I’ll make something edible.”

You watched him move around the kitchen. 

Jason grabbed cheese, butter, bread and a few other spices.

You'd seen Jason shirtless once before, but it had been briefly then.

You hadn't noticed the scars. 

Faint pale lines were scattered across his torso and arms, not an overwhelming amount but more than the average person.

One curved across his ribs.

Another disappeared beneath the waistband of his sweats. 

They reminded you of scars various thugs had that you had treated in the ER.

“You gonna keep staring,” Jason asked casually, his back turned to you as he buttered bread. "Or tell me what's going on in that head of yours?

Busted. 

Your quickly shifted your gaze to the clock above the sink. 

22:57

“I wasn’t,” you defended yourself, even if it was weak.

“You were.”

“I was thinking.”

“Oh really?”

You rolled your eyes, “shut up and cook.”

“Yes ma’am.”

You moved to scrub the burnt pan, trying to salvage it. 

 After a while Jason plated the grilled cheese sandwiches. 

You dried your hands and glared down at the pan. The charred black had barely budged no matter how much you scrubbed. 

You added more soap and hot water before deciding it was a future problem.

Jason slid a plate toward you across the counter.

“Careful,” he said. “It’s hot.”

You looked up at him.

His hair was still slightly messy and the scrape on his elbow looked worse in the warm kitchen lightening. It made your fingers itch with the urge to disinfect it properly. 

"Thank you."

You couldn't help the questions that popped into your mind.

How dangerous was “security” supposed to be? It was Gotham but still.

Your eyes drifted back to the scars crossing his ribs.

It didn't look old.

Jason seemed to notice. His expression didn't change, but something in him seemed to close off slightly.

You moved to the lounge before you could feel weirder about staring at him like a complete creep.

Behind you, Jason turned back to his plate, cutting into his grilled cheese as though had nothing happened. But the easy vibe from earlier never really settled back into place.

The TV played quietly while you picked at your food, occasionally scrolling on your phone just to have something to do with your hands.

Jason stayed in the kitchen cleaning up. Eventually he dried his hands on a towel and picked up his plate moving into the hallway.

He paused briefly near the hallway entrance.

"Night," he said.

You looked up from your phone. 

"Goodnight, Jay."

He gave you a small nod before disappearing into his room.

You face palmed.

He definitely thought you were some perv staring at him shirtless. 

Next Chapter

Gotham was never silent, but at four in the morning it came close.

Jason’s motorcycle echoed as he pulled into the apartment garage. The concrete floor was still damp from where rainwater had leaked in earlier. 

He sat on his bike, no longer in his Red hood gear, and tipped his head back. 

That had been a mistake.

A really fucking bad one.

He closed his eyes and breathed out slowly while the engine clicked as it cooled. Jason really tried to clear his mind, unfortunately his brain had other plans.

“I’d like that.”

Then her hands fisting in his jacket and pulling him back before he could put distance between them.

He groaned. 

The rooftop kiss had already complicated things enough. He’d spent weeks shoving it into a separate compartment in his head and pretending that solved the problem.

Jason yanked the helmet off harder than necessary, grabbed his duffel bag from the bike compartment and headed toward the stairwell. 

By the time he reached the apartment his exhaustion had finally started catching up to him.

The lamp beside the couch was still on.

He kicked off his boots haphazardly next to her sneakers and hung his keys on the hook in the kitchen before stretching. The movement pulled at bruises scattered over his body, a particularly nasty one blossomed above his knee. 

Tonight, had been a pain in the ass in more ways than one.

Jason leaned against the kitchen counter and stared blankly at absolutely nothing. 

He’d cooked for her.

Washed her dishes at 3AM.

Watched enough movies together he’d stopped keeping track. 

Then he went out as Red hood and kissed her. 

A rough breath left him as he glared at a crack in the wall opposite him. 

The attraction itself wasn’t the problem anymore. He’d accepted that part already a while ago.

No, the problem was that the lines were starting to blur in ways he hadn’t anticipated. 

Her laughing in the kitchen while wearing that stupid shirt.

Her falling asleep on the couch under a blanket he’d tucked around her.

Her kissing him on the rooftop... the hospital parking lot.

Different moments.

Different versions of him. 

And both felt entirely different, in a way he couldn’t bridge.

Jason’s thumb brushed the hem of his jacket next to the zipper. 

Bruce would probably have an aneurysm if he knew about any of this. 

The others would never shut up about it.

Jason’s eyes drifted toward the hallway, to her room.

The memory hit him before he could stop it. 

Pressing her against the car.

Her hands around his neck.

The way she had kissed him back like she wanted more. 

“Shit.”

Jason shoved away from the counter before he could spiral further and headed to his room. 

Halfway there he slowed near your door.

Just for a second.

Then another.

His brain very unhelpfully supplied the image of her asleep under her blankets.

Safe.

Jason squeezed his eyes shut.

He was so unbelievably screwed.

He forced himself to keep moving.

Inside his room he dropped the duffle bag beside his dresser and stripped out of his jacket and shirt, tossing both into the laundry basket in the corner.

Normally he’d shower after patrol.

Tonight he sat on the edge of the bed instead.

The room still felt cold from being empty all day. 

His eyes landed on the duffel.

She liked Redhood.

That realization should not have made him feel as smug as it did. 

But she liked Jason too.

Or at least… he thought she did.

Or hoped.

Either way, she didn’t know they were the same person.

Jason stared at the bag for a long moment.

Would she have kissed him if she knew it was Jason?

The thought sat heavy in his chest.

Because she trusted Red hood.

Trusted him enough to keep her eyes closed while he took off his helmet. Trusted him enough to let him close. 

And instead of stopping any of this before it got messy, Jason had kissed her.

Twice.

A frustrated sound left him as he scrubbed a hand over his face. 

This was already becoming a mess, not because of just the feelings.

Because of her.

She deserved honesty, and somewhere along the way he’d gotten himself tangled in something he hadn’t planned.

Eventually something was going to give.

The thought should’ve worried him more than it did.

Instead, all he could think of was the way she’d looked at him before he had left.

Stay safe.  

Simple words, but they hadn’t felt casual. They’d sounded like she actually meant it.

Jason finally pushed himself upright. 

Tomorrow was going to suck.

He already knew he wasn’t getting nearly enough sleep.

Next Chapter

“I’m really sorry, I think I was just overreacting.”

“Hey, none of that,” you said softly, while updating her chart. “You made the right choice coming here, this is our job and we’re happy to help you.”

“Okay,” she sniffled. “If you’re sure.”

“Positive,” you reassured her.

The patient was a teenage girl with bronchitis who earlier that night had struggled to breathe, whether from the infection or anxiety she wasn’t sure. 

It took a lot of reassurance that she wasn’t taking up unnecessary space to convince her she needed to be here. 

“We will send you for an X-ray to get your lungs checked out,” you informed the two. 

She shot a panicked look at her mom that sat on the chair next to the bed.

The mom nodded, “Perfect.”

You gave the girl another warm smile, “I'll come back to check up on you later with the Doctor too.”

It was fairly slow for a night shift, a few beds were open. 

Across the department a child was crying because he needed stitches, an elderly woman was admitted after a fall.

You had just finished restocking a tray when noises carried through the floor. 

Muffled shouting and lots of it. 

It was always the slow nights. 

A group of men burst through the automatic doors so fast one of them nearly slammed into the nurse station.

There were five of them. Maybe six.

One was being carried between the others, his shoes dragging streaks of blood across the floor tiles. 

For half a second, the ER stalled.

The crying child stopped mid sob.

You saw the gun before your brain properly processed anything else.

A black handgun, shaking slightly in the grip of the man at the front. 

“Don’t let him die.”

His voice cracked on the last word.

The muzzle jerked from person to person. 

Beside you, someone quietly swore.

Dr. Singh moved first.

“Alright,” she said carefully, hands visible. “We can help him, but we need space.”

The gun swung toward her.

Every muscle in your body locked.

The patient groaned weakly between the men holding him up. The blood soaked through their clothes as they held him up.

“Save him,” the gunman snapped.

“We are trying to,” Dr. Singh replied

“No,” he stepped closer. “You. Will. Save. Him.”

His finger stayed on the trigger.

Then Dr. Singh nodded once. “Get him on the bed. Now.”

Everything kicked back into motion.

Your hands were already reaching for gloves.

You focused on the tasks rather than the gun pointed at you. 

Because despite the gun and the shouting and the fear, there was still a patient bleeding out in front of you.

The patient was transferred onto one of the beds, blood quickly soaked through the sheets beneath him.

You cut away the ruined shirt while Dr. Singh assessed the wound. The metallic smell of blood mixed sharply with antiseptic.

He had a gunshot wound to the chest. 

One of the armed men hovered so close that you kept bumping elbows with him. 

The main guy paced the ER, chest rising too fast, the gun still clenched in his hand

Despite the situation, your hands remained steady.

Your brain stayed clear. 

That felt wrong. 

The patient coded less than two minutes later. 

“Starting compressions.”

Someone asked you for another syringe and you nearly dropped it because your gloves were slick. 

“Is he going to be okay?” one of the guys asked.

No one responded.

The gunman had stopped pacing; he just stood there staring.

All you could hear was the sound of compressions and the squeak of shoes pivoting against the floor. 

Dr. Singh checked for a pulse again.

Then again. 

Nothing.

You could feel the entire room waiting for her to say something.

Instead, Nurse Bell stepped forward slowly.

“We did everything we could.”

The gunman’s expression twisted.

 “Fuck,” he breathed.

Nobody moved.

You couldn’t even force yourself to breathe. 

Then distant sirens wailed outside.

One of the men snapped his head toward the ambulance bay doors. 

“We have to go.”

The gunman didn’t react.

Another grabbed his shoulder harder this time. “Now.”

For one second you thought he might raise the gun again.

Then, his arm dropped.

The group backed away, shoes squeaking against the blood-slick tile. 

One of them looked back at their friend before disappearing through the doors. 

Then they were gone.

It had only been maybe five minutes.

A long silence followed. 

The patient lay motionless on the bed. 

Someone nearby let out a shaky breath.

The crying child started sobbing so loud it snapped you out of your daze.

Only then did you realize your gloves were covered in blood all the way to the wrists.

Your hands started shaking when you tried to pull them off.

Nurse Bell who was standing next to you noticed.

 “You okay, hun?”

You swallowed, the question felt oddly difficult because you genuinely weren’t sure.

Physically you were okay.

The rest of you hadn’t caught up yet.

“I think so.”

Your voice sounded strange.

“Are you?” you returned the question while moving to pull off your gloves. 

Nurse Bell exhaled through her nose and rubbed her forearm across her forehead.

“I’m getting too old for this shit.”

It almost made you laugh.

The GCPD flooded the department moments later. They took statements, checked cameras, and spoke with security.

The rest of the shift somehow continued. Patients still needed treatment and the charts still needed updating. 

By midnight, the blood on your shoes had dried brown. That felt more real than the memory did.

Yet every now and then the memories would force their way in. 

But you had to push the thoughts away and keep working.

Your shift had ended and life started feeling real again. 

The doors slid shut behind you as you stepped into the hospital parkade of the hospital. The air was cold and carried the smell of rain.

You pulled your jacket tighter around yourself as you headed to your car.

The staff parking level had a few cars scattered in the spots fluorescent lights buzzed overhead.

You cursed yourself for parking all the way in the far corner.

Your phone buzzed again in your hand, the group chat was still active.

Alyssa, Thalia and Eva were intent on both checking in on you and getting the details of what happened.

You huffed through your nose.

Gotham Watch had apparently been fast enough to report on the incident before half the staff had even finished giving statements.

You typed back as you walked, reassuring that you were fine and that no one got hurt besides the patient. 

Three typing bubbles appeared soon after you sent the texts. You turned off your phone before they replied. 

You really did appreciate their care, but more interrogations was the last thing you needed.

As you rounded your car, a figure came into view.

You gasped and jumped back.  

“Shit!” 

Your phone slipped from your hand and clattered onto the concrete.

Redhood was leaning against your door.

“Hi.”

“God,” you muttered, dusting it off, “You have a real bad habit of sneaking up on people.”

A soft static crackle sound through the modulator in response.

Then your brain finally caught up to the fact that Redhood was just…standing in a hospital parking garage.

Out in the open. 

You glanced around, the level was empty of any persons, but still.

“Aren’t you worried about cameras?” you whispered.

“The ones here don’t work.”

Your brows shot up, “really?”

That was news to you.

You looked up at one of them nearby, it was dark.

“Mhm.”

“Right,” you said. “That’s not concerning at all.”

You opened the back door of your car, tossed your bag inside, and shut it again mostly to give your hands something to do.

The sounded echoed through the garage.

When you turned back, he was watching you. 

“Are you okay?” Redhood asked.

You leaned back against the car and sighed.

There was still a faint ache in your shoulders, and your hands felt like they hadn’t fully stopped shaking yet.

“Did you hear about the gang thing?” you deflected.

“I did.”

Of course he did.

That was literally his thing.

Still, something about him being here made the whole night feel strange and distant all over again.

You nodded once.

“You came all the way just to check on me?” 

The white lens shifted briefly toward the parking garage entrance before settling back on you.

“Yeah,” Redhood shifted, one boot scraping faintly against the concrete.

That made something warm twist in your chest.

“It sounded pretty intense,” he added quietly.

You stared down at your shoes.

“Nothing you haven’t seen,”

“Mm,” he stepped closer. “That doesn’t make it any less.”

Your throat tightened unexpectedly and you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, “I guess it shook me up a bit.”

“A bit?”

You let out a weak laugh, “there were guns pointed at us.”

Your fingers curled into the sleeves of your jacket.

“It was scary.”

The admission was quiet and weak.

His gloved hand brushed over your sleeve once before he pulled you gently into him.

The hug caught you off guard. 

You hadn’t realized how badly you needed one right now.

Your body melted against him. The leather of his jacket was cool from outside, but underneath it he was warm and solid and real.

His hand spread across your upper back. 

“It shouldn’t have happened,” his voice rumbled through his modulator. “But you did really well.”

Oh, that did it. 

You sucked in a breath and tightened your hold on him, hiding your face in his chest. 

“Thank you,” you whispered. 

The city hummed faintly beyond the concrete walls of the garage.

Then Red leaned back slightly, one hand settling carefully against your hip.

The gesture was intimate.

You looked up at the helmet.

At the unreadable white lens staring back at you. 

“I wish I could tell what you were thinking,” you said without thinking.

“Hard with the mask?” 

You snorted softly, “impossible.”

A sound that almost resembled a sigh crackled through the modulator

“I’m not thinking about much,” he admitted. 

His thumb brushed light against your side.

“Just you.”

Your breath hitched, “Me?” 

“You.”

Your fingers found the front of his jacket, thumbing the worn leather near the zipper.

The hospital was still busy and probably so was Gotham.

And yet he’d shown up here.

Just to make sure you were okay.

Your eyes dropped to his mouthpiece, flashbacks from the rooftop floated into the back of your mind. 

You realized how close you were standing, close enough to feel warmth radiating off him.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked quietly.

Your cheeks heated.

“Here?” You glanced around. “Are you sure?”

The corner of the parking garage was mostly hidden behind one of the support pillars. Your car blocked the rest of the view.

It still felt dangerously reckless.

And oh, so tempting. 

“Mhm.”

The simple sound made your stomach flip.

“I’d like that,” you admitted.

Your eyes fluttered shut.

The familiar mechanical whir made your pulse jump.

His hand that was still on your hip felt impossibly warm. 

“You’re staring, aren’t you?” you teased weakly, eyes still closed.

A warm breath of laughter ghosted across your mouth.

“Knew it.”

His thumb brushed your exposed skin where your jacket had ridden up. 

The touch sent a whirl wind of feelings through you.

You tilted your face upward, and his hand found your cheek gently.

Even now he hesitated, giving you room to pull away.

Instead, you leaned into him

Red kissed you. 

It was warm and careful in a way that made your chest ache.

A distant car’s alarm chirped followed by the sound of a car door closing.

He pulled back, just enough to breathe.

But you weren’t ready to part just yet.

Your grip tightened on his jacket, and you pulled him back in, pressing your lips against his. 

This time he froze for a second, like he hadn’t expected you to.

Then he kissed you back.

Harder.

Your back bumped lightly against the car door as his hands found your waist properly, pulling you closer.

The kiss deepened fast after that.

Gone was the uncertainty from the rooftop.

Your arms slid around the back of his neck, fingers brushing his neck and the edge of the partially opened helmet. 

You wished you could thread your fingers through his hair.

A muffled sound escaped his throat when you pulled him closer. The noise went straight through you, heat curled low in your stomach.

His hand snuck under your shirt and spread against your waist, thumb dragging over your side as he pressed you gently against the car.

The world narrowed down to him and the way he hungrily kissed you.

You shifted closer and your leg lifted to his waist on instinct. 

Red’s free hand slid under your thigh, lifting you against him while pressing you into the car. You gasped into his mouth as a sliver of bare skin met the cold car door.

BZZZ

The sharp noise shattered the moment instantly.

Both of you halted slightly apart.

You squeezed your eyes shut harder so you wouldn’t accidentally look at him.

Red huffed out a breath before briefly dropping his forehead against your shoulder.

Then he exhaled slowly and squeezed your waist once.

His hand lifted and the mechanical whir sounded again.

“What?” he answered flatly.

A muffled voice sounded through the comm. 

You cracked one eye open, his helmet was securely on, and his hand was pressed against the earpiece.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “I’m on my way.”

Redhood’s hand dropped from the earpiece and settled back onto your hip, almost absentmindedly.

“Duty calls?” you asked.

You tried not to sound disappointed, but judging by the slight tilt of his helmet you failed.

“Mhm.”

There was a beat before he added, “sorry, sweetheart.”

The nickname hit embarrassingly hard, and you couldn’t help the smile.

“Don’t be,” your fingers brushed against the edge of his helmet. “Just stay safe.”

“You too,” he finally stepped back.

Then Red pointed toward the other side of the parking garage.

“And seriously,” he said. “Start parking closer to the entrance.”

You huffed out a laugh.

“Oh wow, thanks for the safety tip.”

He gave you a look that you could read even with the helmet.

“Okay okay,” you raised your hands in surrender. “I will.”

Red pointed a finger at you.

“I mean it, doc.” 

Redhood looked at you once more before leaving parkade.

You would never get used to watching him grapple off of buildings.

After a moment, you turned back to your car getting into the driver's seat.

Next Chapter