Ready As I’ll Ever Be -- Jason Todd x Reader, Platonic!Roy Harper x Reader
Let me clarify one thing, this story endgame is still Jason Todd x reader. Everything up until this point has been leading up to the actual plot. Surprisingly, this story actually has a plot. Given it’s a complicated one, but the plot is still there!
Just...keep that in mind when reading this.
Tagging: @lovingmytelevision, @posiey, @miraisnotavailable, @epickimmie, @soepicsokim, @themortallife, @pbandj14, @sarcasmismyfirstlove, @portrait-ninja, @insideoflit
WARNING! Major plot points finally being reached. Won’t make a ton of sense until the next few parts, but it’s there nonetheless.
Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight
Word Count: 1016
The chance of you running into a person who looked nearly identical to Jason Todd was a one in a trillion chance. You know, you had Googled it as soon as you had gotten away from the guy you’d met nearly two weeks ago in the hallway on your way to your self-defense class.
His name was Tadd Massey, as he had introduced himself to you once he had helped you to your feet. His black hair didn’t have the telltale white streak that Jason’s had, and his blue eyes held a kinder light to them than the vigilante’s. The man also had a calm disposition and, as far as you were aware, no superhero affiliations.
The only things that this stranger shared with your soulmate was his general looks and persistent nature.
“Hello again,” Tadd smiled as he fell into step beside you. “It feels like I haven’t seen you around much lately.”
You chuckled nervously. “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a terrible liar?”
“On occasion, yes.”
The man let out a loud laugh at your comment. You couldn’t help but notice that his eyes lit up the same way Jason’s did when he laughed. Immediately, you pushed that thought as far to the back of your mind as possible. As much as Tadd resembled him, he was not Jason and it wasn’t fair to him to compare them.
“So,” Tadd started as the two of you finally reached your floor, “care to explain why you’ve been avoiding me?”
“Care to explain why you’ve noticed me avoiding you? I’m sure there are plenty of other women you could interact with. More friendly, interesting women.”
“None of them are quite what I’m looking for.”
You snorted at that comment. Reaching into your pocket, you pulled your keys from it and picked out the correct one. “And what exactly are you looking for in a woman?”
“You.”
That made you almost drop your keys.
It wasn’t that you weren’t flattered, far from it. You felt a deep blush fill your cheeks as you refocused on unlocking your door and ignoring the burning sensation on your face.
“That was rather bold of you.”
Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the dark-haired man shrug. “I’m pretty straight-forward when I’m interested in a woman.”
“I’m not exactly what you’re looking for, no matter what you think.”
“Shouldn’t I be the judge of that?” Tadd leaned against the wall and looked into your eyes. “Why do you keep pushing me away?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Rumor has it that you just went through a pretty intense break up.”
You scowled. “You’ve been talking to Mrs. Jennings.”
“Guilty as charged.” Tadd held his hands up in surrender. “You left me little choice since you insist on making sure we never talk to one another. What did I do to make you hate me so much?”
You debated walking into your loft and slamming the door in the man’s face. He had no right to go and invade your personal business. He had no right to single you out of all the other single women who lived in the apartment complex. He had no right to go behind your back and ask your landlady about you.
And yet, there was something about him that just drew you to him.
Tadd’s smile was seemingly always present on his face and he always had some sort of joke ready at the drop of a hat. From your own observations of him, he was polite and considerate of all those who lived here. You’d never seen him have any female visitors over. Not that you were keeping tabs on him. It was just obvious that your neighbor was a bit of an introvert when it came to interacting with others.
Well, except for you.
“Don’t worry, I don’t hate you.” You finally decided to say, turning to face the man. A sheepish smile graced your lips. “Mrs. Jennings wasn’t lying when she said that I’d gone through a nasty break up. I guess I’m still dealing with that.”
The blue-eyed man nodded in understanding. “I get that. I’ve been going through the same kind of stuff. I guess that’s why I’m so intent on getting to know you. Birds of a feather, right?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” You chuckled.
“Tell you what, let me make up my stalker-esque behavior. How about coffee with me?”
You raised an eyebrow at his brazenness. “Like, right now?”
“No time like the present!”
A small, paranoid part of you questioned Tadd’s immediate interest in you. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but looks could be deceiving. Then again, after the events you’d been through recently it was no wonder you were questioning someone’s interest in you. Having the one person you were destined to be with leave you had left you emotionally raw. Who would blame you for turning down this man’s friendly offer?
“I could go for a coffee.” You smiled warmly. “It’d be nice not to spend the evening all by myself for once.”
“Fantastic! I know of this great local shop just around the corner.”
“Let me put my things in my apartment and we can go.”
Tadd nodded his head in acknowledgement. He waited as you hurried into your apartment. You had just placed your workbag down when your phone vibrated. A quick glance confirmed your suspicion as to who it was.
You make it home alright?
Your fingers flew across the screen quickly. Yeah. I’m headed to go get some coffee with a guy who lives in the complex.
Wait, really? Roy shot back. You sure you’re ready?
No time like the present, right? I can at least give dating a try.
Stay safe then. And let me know how everything goes and when you get home.
Yes mom. You typed back then shoved your phone into your pocket.
Tadd pushed himself from where he had been leaning against the wall. “You ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be. Lead the way.”
