Jason Todd X Black!reader - Tumblr Posts
something about jason todd with a touchy!reader s/o is literally so yummie.
You’ve got him on his stomach, regrettably, he thinks, as you watch the hills and divots of his muscles roll and flex as he gets comfortable. The scarred herculean expanse of his back is exposed to you as you sit on his butt.
“Dunno why I agreed to this,” he frowns, not bothering to move his head, unmuffling his musings.
He really doesn’t; ten minutes ago you two were having a very civil discussion (read: arguing) about something or other. Next thing he knew, he was in your bed, on his stomach, half naked and under you.
“Cause you like me,” you sing, breaking him from his thoughts, as you drag manicured fingers up his back, pressing into his taut muscle, deftly massaging each sore part of him.
“You like this. ‘S okay to admit it,” you add.
He gives a noncommittal noise that gets cut off by a strangled gasp when he feels your hands pressing into the upper muscles of his back.
There’s a deep discomfort that settles in his stomach; he’s never been touched so lovingly, not without hidden motives tainting said touch. He isn’t sure if he should push you off him or beg you to keep going.
You hum as you work his muscles, letting his inconsistent breathing and occasional gasps guide you.
You continue rubbing him down, occasionally pausing to apply more shea butter to your hands before resuming your work.
You reach up to his neck, as he sighs. You press just a hair harder, feeling a knot loosen at the pressure. Jason inhales, trying to steel himself from any possible reaction.
Regardless of his efforts, a low “Fuck,” reverberates through his chest. He internally frowns at the sound of his low whine, sounding like a wounded animal. He reddens as he hears himself, internally cringing at his neediness, at your willingness, and the intimacy of it all.
“That was pretty,” you murmur, teasing lilt in your voice. He’s fighting the urge to shut down this moment of vulnerability the two of you are sharing. You know he’s really pushing himself, so you try to keep the extra teases locked away for another day, another less intense moment.
You shut yourself up, instead focusing your attention to Jason’s expansive back. You press harder in the same spot, shameless in your attempt to illicit more noises from him as you whisper, “Give me another.”
He shudders, giving a shaky exhale as he composes himself.
“You’re evil,” he grumbles, despite almost leaning up into your touch.
“So evil,” You smile, “Totally evil.”
Not once does your touch on his back falter. He hums in agreement, softly smiling into a pillow.
“Incredibly evil,” Jason sighs. “Lucky I like your evil ass.”
“Aw,” you say, “Red’s finally going soft. I got you up under me and now you don’t know how to act. ”
Jason can hear the smile in your words. Choosing to ignore it, he closes his eyes and focuses solely on your touch.
“Yeah,” He mumbles, before pausing to consider his words, “Goin’ real soft, only for you.”
I honestly feel like some people forget Jason Todd is a straight hood nigga like HE MET BRUCE FROM STEALING HIS TIRES OFF THE BATMOBILE and he’s from the hood part of Gotham this MAN IS SEASONED AND HE KNOWS SHIT you can’t tell me this man didn’t have black friends, his first crush wasn’t black or Latina and his favorite food isn’t soul food from his friends mommas…and don’t get me started on that slang he prolly has like when he see you “what’s good mama” or “how my princess feeling give daddy a kiss fa me” and how he has “black” mannerisms Jason is the white boy who should’ve been black in the friend group……all I’m saying is Jason Todd is a seasoned white man not Jack Harlow white but eminem type white or something…case closed
btw I LOVE YOUR WORK sending you all my love 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🫰🏾🫰🏾🫰🏾🫰🏾🫰🏾🫰🏾
THANK YOU MWAH
Jason can also code switch like a motherfucker too. When he first got adopted by Bruce, he had to learn how to get along with all of those rich kids. Now, he's more chill and relaxed that he only slips up in private moments where he's either angry, excited or upset.... or during sex.
I can imagine him like absolutely dogging you out and just groaning in your ear "You like that mama," or " Is my princess gonna give me another one". He likes to pretend that it never happened.
After Hours
“I'm fallin' in too deep. Without you, don't wanna sleep. 'Cause my heart belongs to you. I'll risk it all for you. I want you next to me.”
warnings: fluff, established relationships, suggested smut
Jason pushed the windows open as he came in the room with a yawn.
Taking off his Red Hood helmet he tossed it to the side as he shuffled outta his costume.
“C’mon, seriously,” he muttered as he stood in the doorway, pants at his ankles in nothing but his Wonder Woman boxers “it’s like 5am what are you still doing up?”
“Couldn’t sleep, too much to do.”
“Like what?” He asked resting a hand on his hip
“I got a shit ton of math work due soon plus I need to finish my essay annnnd I work tomorrow.” You shrugged taking a sip of your cold coffee
“You know you can’t survive purely on caffeine, right?” He sighs
“Like you’re any better.” You replied
“At least I eat.” He argued back
“Barely!”
“Come on. Take a break.” He said sitting next to you on the bed while resting a hand on your back.
“I can’t,” you said, lifting your head to face him. You had so much to do. So much to study and so little time for it all.
“Come on,” he said again, grabbing your hand and tugging you to him. “Just for the day. You’ll feel better after. I promise.”
It was Jason’s idea to take you out to the small park around the block from your shared apartment in the Hill, after a short nap and some breakfast at your favorite diner. It was a sunny day and it was well deserved after finishing a grueling week of college classes, trying to earn your bachelor’s degree.
His smart cookie Jason liked to call you.
As you walked, wandering around the park pointing out different animals, feeding birds and just talking to each other, Jason tries to place his hand in your back pocket but when he realizes you’re wearing joggers, his favorite ones he might add, the ones that hug the curves of your ass just right, he rests his hand right over your ass.
“Really?” You chuckle as you lean into his side savoring his warmth
“What? I can’t help myself, that thing is like a magnet.” He shrugged bringing his hand to rest on your hip as you walked.
You stayed at the park for what felt like hours just enjoying each other’s company till the sky started to turn orange and your bellies started to rumble with hunger.
“Let’s head back.” Jason said as he stood from his spot on the park bench you two had stopped to rest at, pulling you with him by the hand as he led you back to the apartment.
Back at the apartment, Jason had you wait in the living room while he cleaned up the room a bit. When you were finally allowed to enter the room you aww’ed at how sweet he was being.
Jason had a whole set up for you. He changed the sheets and comforter and had the tv set up to your favorite show. Candles were lit on the end tables and a few small snacks were set out too.
“What do you say babe wanna Netflix and chill for a bit?”
Chilling was definitely the word you would use for what y’all did. Both of you had stripped down and threw on your pajamas, yours being a pair of shorts and one of Jason’s shirts, and his being a old t-shirt and his favorite pair of green joggers, and jumped right into bed.
You ended up watching almost a whole season of your favorite show while Jason just laid at your side and read his book.
A few hours later and the sky was dark, stars were starting to shine brightly in the sky. Jason stepped out to go and grab some food from y’all’s favorite local diner again. When he got back the room was dark, the tv was off and you were nowhere in sight.
Panic gripped his chest for a split second before he realized the window to the fire escape was open, climbing up it he was met with the sight of you sitting on the rooftop peacefully watching the sky as you hummed to yourself.
“Whatchu doing out here?” Jason asked as he plopped down next to you on the rooftop. He had the burgers he had gone to pick up in one hard and your drinks in the other.
“Nothing. Just clearing my head.” You leaned forward to rest your cheek on your knees, while staring at him a small smile creeping up on your face.
“What’s with the look?”
“You have no idea how much I appreciate you Jay.” You smiled up at him
“Stop before I puke” he said turning away from you to hide the small pink tint to his cheeks. Compliments weren’t really his thing but you always liked to shower him with them
“I’m serious!”
“Yeah whatever eat your food.” he said handing you your burger and drink. The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes as you ate you leaning into him every so often as you hummed in satisfaction, him rolling his eyes at you but smiling behind his burger as you did so.
The two of you sat and enjoyed the quiet, simply watching the stars and just enjoying each other’s company. Jason kept glancing back at you now and again, whether it was to make sure you were still there or just to appreciate your face you weren’t sure but you accepted the attention nonetheless.
“I’m surprised you took the night off.” You said as you leaned back into his side.
“Roy’s got it covered.” He said stretching out and placing a blanket around you both
“How is Roy?” You asked
“Roy’s…Roy.” He shrugged
You snuggle a bit closer trying to steal his body heat which made him chuckle
“You heat vulture.”
“What? It’s chilly!” You shrug
You’re practically in his lap, legs draped over his, when you start to play with his hair, fingers running through his scalp massaging it as he leaning into your touch
“Whatcha doin there, princess?”
Your fingers move down to play with the hair at the back of his neck. “Just enjoying your company is all.”
“Mhm. Are you hoping to continue to enjoy my company?” He hums in response as he cocks his brow at you suggestively.
You chuckle and he gives you a look
“Well, I guess I can invite you in for a few minutes, Mr. Red Hood.”
He smirks as his fingers dancing across your neck and collarbone before coming to rest on your jaw “How thoughtful of you.”
He caught your mouth with his own the kiss starting off gentle but quickly evolving
Pulling away from the now bruising kiss Jason kissed and nipped along your jaw to neck mouthing at the spot he knew never failed to make you weak in the knees.
You let out a breathless moan as he worked at your neck leaving dark love marks in his wake before finding his way back up to your lips with a smile, a shiver runs down your spine.
He pulls you closer, running his hands across your body, lingering on your thighs and ass. The blanket falls from around you two pooling around your heated bodies.
Jason licked at your mouth asking for entrance which you were all too happy to oblige. He ran his tongue along yours, deepening the kiss once more as you tilted your head to give him better access to your mouth.
He lifted you up without breaking the kiss putting you in his lap quickly picking up in intensity as he kissed you again and again. Your legs encircled his hips as he groped and dragged you into him slowly but heatedly grinding himself to your core.
Just as his hands found your waistband and started wandering a little further south you pulled away from his lips with a wet pop.
“We’re on the roof Jay.”
“Right.” he said, sounding a little embarrassed that he had gotten so carried away out in the open like that. He buries his face in your neck and inhales, trying to calm himself down. You smell good he realizes but he pushes the thought back down.
You peck his lips on last time before pushing off of him. You stood and stretched before grabbing his hand and leading him back down the fire escape to your cozy little apartment.
Pushing him down onto the mattress Jason smirked up at you before looking at you in confusion.
“Wait where are you going?” he said watching you grab a towel.
“I have to shower,” You said dryly, taking off your clothes, turning to face him, you cocked an eyebrow at him.
“Care to join me?”
Jumping up from the bed Jason scooped you up into his arms carrying you into the bathroom with him
“I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
DC MASTERLIST
DICK GRAYSON || None Yet
JASON TODD || None Yet
Enchanting
Jason Todd x Black! reader
This is my first post
“I genuinely don't know why my brain just goes blank when I look at you. I think I'm going a little crazy. It's like you enchant me.”
So many words Jason could use to describe her gorgeous, breathtaking, angelic. However, one word he never thought he’d use was enchanting.
As the sun creeps through the window Jason awakes to her peacefully sleeping he admires the way the sun makes her skin glow, the way her normally intense features have softened. Captured by her beauty. Jason always struggled with finding the words to express his feelings. But now it was easy. It was simple as if everything in the world made sense. The words just fell off his tongue and into place without a second thought.
“I genuinely don't know why my brain just goes blank when I look at you. I think I'm going a little crazy. It's like you enchant me.”
Jason whispers carefully to not wake her up. Y/n slowly starts to open her eyes and looks at Jason for a second before she leans in to give him a lazy kiss. Jason pulls away and admires her before speaking up
“Morning beautiful” his hand finds itself gently stroking her cheek as if she was porcelain and he was afraid to break her
“Morning jaybird” y/n replies teasingly.
Y/n stares into her lover's eyes seeing so much love and adornment. Jason looks back at her and see’s the very same thing. “Am I enchanting you?” she announces teasingly breaking the silence.
“You heard that?”
“Every word” Y/n replies before pulling him into a kiss.
Jason todd x teen reader
~ You’re the product of a former one-night stand Jason had as a teenager.
~ Jason didn't know he had a kid until he got a call from bruce saying, Commissioner Gordon need him down at the station. He didn't know what he was expecting but having a kid, wasn't it. He was informed that your mother had passed and you would now be put in his care.
~ Jason had no clue how to take care of a kid so the first place you went after being released into his custody was Wayne Manor. You were greeted with a warm welcome by both Alfred and Bruce. You roamed around the house as Jason, Alfred, and Bruce were talking when you ran into Tim.
~ Tim was already sleep-deprived running on 1 hour of sleep and 4 cups of coffee was oh so very confused hearing that JASON TODD had a daughter. I mean how could this be he’s never heard of you. Eventually, you got tired of him asking the same question trying to comprehend what he heard, and walked off. Where you ran into Dick.
~ Who was also confused but slightly less. You explained the situation once again. He tried comforting you with the loss of your mother knowing what it's like but you brushed it off. He offered to take you to the kitchen to get food which you didn't decline. neither would I. You guys make random small talk until Jason's voice could be heard echoing through the manor yelling your name you follow the noise meeting him. “There you are come on where leaving,” he said in an uncertain gentle but stern voice.
~ He took you shopping to get all the necessary things. yes, he used bruce's card but in his defense, he gave it to him to use on you. He took you to get new clothes, shoes, a phone, and anything you asked for.
~ He struggles with discipline because you obviously just met him and he doesn't want to seem like the asshole. That is until you put yourself in a dangerous position like drinking, or smoking at a party. You guys have a nice heart-to-heart convo and told you if your gonna do stuff like that at least do it when he is there cuz it's better to have supervision and guidance than be on your own.
~ You guys definitely develop one of those close father-daughter relationships. You can talk to each other about anything where you’re looking for advice or someone to listen to.
~ Your fav uncle is Dick and ur fav aunt is Kate there just superior. don't attack me love all the bat fam.
~ Like I said earlier he is kinda lenient you can curse around him and at other people just not him, you can have a S/O but don't think for one moment the entire bat fam won't interrogate them before and pray for them if they break your heart
JASON TODD & DAMIAN WAYNE (generalized fanon | maybe wfa)
—
“Reaction Time” (Jason Todd x Fem!Reader) and (Damian Wayne & Platonic!Reader)
| Reader is introduced to the first of her new boyfriend’s extended family.
| SFW, breaking in, Damian Logic™ -frazzled!reader
| pic sources: beg.=rebirth rhato, middle=batman & robin#12, and end=rebirth teen titans • all comics
| part of the meet the bats series
| 1k+ words
It’s the small hours of the morning still, you can tell by the heat of Jason’s body pressed along your side. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, the comforter hasn’t fallen off your body at any point, you're not too hot, and when you listen over the sound of your own breathing you don’t hear anything off.
Your soft breaths sound normal, nothing concerning there. You hold your breath so you can hear better. You want to go back to sleep but you have to get rid of the nagging ✨wrongness✨ that had you awake in the first place.
You find Jason’s breathing fine, luckily calm, and when you focus harder you can make out the tiny murmurs - Jason consistently had nightmares, whether they woke him or you up or not - and the more pronounced huffs of breath that were a product of wherever the Sandman had taken him. There was something off about it though, like it was louder.
Your nose scrunches and you finally open your eyes, sliding blurry sleep crusted orbs to watch your boyfriend you piece it together. His breaths weren’t louder; they were overlapping. Or-
You blink your eyes open wider, watching his chest rise up and down. Both sets of breaths weren’t matching. Your world stutters.
The breaths were coming from opposite directions too.
It’s as your head’s whipping around that you feel the barely there scrape across your neck and the flash of metal in the corner of your eye. Your body freezes, breaths quickening in your chest just as Jason jumps up and your eyes lock on a small shadowy figure.
“If I was you I wouldn’t move another inch,” Jason warns.
You whimper, barely registering the safety of a gun clicking off and Jason's arm raised over you.
Then you scream.
A small voice talks right over you.
“Tt, this is who you want to be your girlfriend? She has terrible response time.”
“Damian?”
Jason’s exclamation makes you gasp.
“You know him?”
Jason glances at you when you talk through your screaming, face creasing in worry, before he groans and clicks back on the safety of the gun. Putting it back underneath his pillow and then easing the blade away from your neck.
“Baby, breath, okay? I’m gonna deal with him,” he nods at the shadow who sounds like a fucking baby - what the fuck? “And you're gonna be fine. Sheath this shit Damian or so help me god,” he grounds out.
You’ve stopped screaming but your chest is heaving as you watch the kid move and put away the sword. That’s a suspicious amount of stop light colors.
“Is that Robin?”
Another scoff from Robin. There’s a superhero in your apartment, why in the world?
“Y/n baby-”
Jason’s voice is only the tiniest bit hysteric, which is utterly inappropriate because you are buzzing out of your skin right now. You scramble up when Jason tries to keep you down, squeezing as close to the other side of the bed as you can with him in the way.
“Why are you so calm? What the fuck is Batman’s sidekick doing in my apartment, Jason?”
“Leaving,” he shoos the boy harshly. “He was fucking leaving.”
Robin shrugs and you find yourself laughing lightly.
“Oh my god….”
What if you were naked? You could’ve so easily been naked right now.
“Oh my god…”
Robin waves towards you with a scowl.
“She is an insufficient choice for a partner.”
“What the- get out! I’ll deal with you in a minute.”
“You are also losing your touch, Todd, you should have sensed me seconds before my weapon got that close-”
Jason grits his teeth and whips around to point at the door.
“I’m not losing shit. Now, go. The fuck. Outside.”
Robin purses his lips, domino creasing in what you can only guess is a glare, before marching out. You stare wide eyed after his back, eyes drawn specifically to the hilt of his sword.
“Jason…”
“I am so sorry. Is your neck okay?”
All you can do is nod.
He moves so he’s in front of you, blocking your view of the door and the tiny vigilante behind it. His hands hover awkwardly over your body while he speaks in hushed tones.
“That’s good at least.” He huffs, “I told them to give me space because you weren’t ready, I did. I promise.”
“Mhm,” you nod then drop your head in your hands. “Jason?”
“Yes baby?”
“I’m about to cry.”
He sucks in a breath.
“Okay, alright okay, just hold on. I-” he jumps out of the bed. “I’m gonna draw you a bath and get you some tea and send my little brother home, alright?”
“Yeah okay,” you mumble. Bless him but your boyfriend never knew what the hell to do with blatant emotions.
Or, scratch that, he knew what to do and could talk it out just fine when they were your feelings. He also just overcompensated for the teary stuff.
You take in a deep breath, rubbing at your temples.
This time when Jason reaches for you he touches. Warm hands grab your own and bring them down to his lap, thumbs rubbing over your knuckles.
“It’s fine. You’re fine. I’ll handle it.”
“Yeah,” you breath, blinking wet eyes at him. “I trust you.”
He blinks, “You trust me?”
His brows move up and his head tilts, and it’s all very endearing but-
“I know, okay, but not right now. Let’s shelve that for when I’m more awake and your kid brother who’s Robin isn’t in my living room.”
“Agreed,” he licks his lips. “We’ll talk about everything tomorrow.”
“Amazing,” you lean in and the two of you share a brief kiss. “I’m gonna head to the bathroom.”
“You deserve it, get in there.”
You laugh faintly, pulling your sleep shirt over your head and grabbing a shower cap to switch out your bonnet with.
“Passion flower tea?”
You give him a thumbs up and a ‘yes please’ before disappearing behind the bathroom door. You miss the way Jason smiles at your retreating form.
The last thing you hear before you slip into the rising warm water and flowery scented bath salts is a litany of soft curses before Jason forces himself to go have that conversation with his brother.
─────
“So how’d it go?”
You lean against your closet door, new set of pajamas on.
“He’s embarrassed but he’ll live,” Jason heaves a sigh, hands running down his face. “I’m sorry again.”
You shrug, “It’s fine. Not like you planned it. Now, are you okay?”
“No, yeah, I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”
You walk up and wrap your hands around his wrists, he gives in to your request and lets you pull his hands away. You bring them down to his sides and run your palms up his arms, rubbing out some of the tension, before cradling the sides of his face.
He cracks his neck before looking at you and you give him a little smile.
“It’s cool, I’m not going anywhere.”
“If you say so,” he hums, hands coming up to rub at your forearms. He turns to press a kiss into your palm.
“I do say so. You told me your family was weird Jason.”
“Yeah, but that wasn’t regular people weird and I can’t even promise he won’t do it again. Or that one of the others won’t just show up one day too.”
“Uh huh,” you shrug and move in so you can peck him on the lips. “I’ll just have to get used to your brand of weirdness then. No big deal.”
He scoffs, “‘No big deal’ she says. Just wait.”
You laugh much less tinged with panic this time.
“I will, because I want to be a part of your life.”
His eyes crinkle.
“Yeah yeah,” he murmurs before kissing you longer this time. When you pull away he’s smiling. “I love you too.”
He clams up, casts this guarded look at you, and you shake your head.
“Oh my god, Jason. I also love you. Can we go back to bed now?”
“Yeah,” he sighs. “Sounds good.”
NOTES: Hope you enjoyed!
JASON TODD & CASSANDRA CAIN (generalized fanon | maybe wfa)
—
“Blind Spot” (Jason Todd x Fem!Reader) and (Cassandra Cain & Platonic!Reader)
| Reader is introduced (this time “formally”) to the second of their new boyfriend’s extended family.
| SFW, stalking(?), batfam shenanigans, worried!Jason
| The pictures used are just for aesthetics and have no contextual meaning to the story. (pic sources: beg.=batman:under the red hood, middle=dceaced, and end=batgirl#1 • all comics)
| part of the meet the bats series
| 3k+ words
Jason’s roof is bumpy. Not like asbestos bumpy or anything, though in Gotham you could never be too sure, but it certainly wasn’t smooth.
“Hey, baby, was your apartment built before or after 1989?”
Jason answers immediately.
“After. I needed a place without a sprinkler system though, so I wouldn’t bet anything special on this building being too up to code.”
“Mm,” you hum, letting your head drop to the side. That still didn’t rule out asbestos.
The new view that greets you is of the back of Jason’s head and the broad scarred expanse of his back.
You’ve decided you’re not going to worry about the possible poison in the walls yet. Hopefully Jason’s paranoia extends to that type of stuff and he’s checked it out already.
“Hey baby?”
In the beat it takes for Jason to let out an acknowledging grunt your eyes catch the black glint of yet another weapon being picked up. You snort.
“You got all those guns, any of ‘em actually do anything interesting?”
His shoulders shake as he laughs.
“Like what?”
You shrug. “I don’t know, just...” your brown fingers snap and you sit up, legs crisscrossed over the cushions, “…there was a rumor going around the other day ‘bout Harley and a beanbag shotgun. Got anything like that?”
Jason scoffs, “You have got to stop listening to whoever is spreading these rumors and giving you your theories.”
“Shut up.” You wait until he’s taken the last piece of the pistol in his hand apart to knock him in the head with one of his throw pillows. “Answer the question, Todd.”
For a good minute he can’t, keeled over laughing as he is, but you have no problem waiting him out, laughter of your own occupying you.
“Alright,” he gasps in air, talking through his giggles. His voice is a little higher than usual. “Short answer is no.”
When he’s done he lets his head fall back into the couch so he can look at you with raised brows.
“Satisfied?” He grins, voice back to normal.
“Believe it or not,” you wiggle around so you can bend over and smack a wet kiss onto his lips, feeling his smile widen, before sitting back up, “no. What’s the long answer?”
He shakes his head at you, muttering something that sounds a lot like ‘insatiable’ under his breath, before going back to his assigned task for the night. You shrug, but a shiver down your spine cuts off whatever response you might’ve given.
Brows furrowing, you lean back on the couch as an uneasy feeling settles in your gut, gaze moving to slide around the apartment until you settle on a familiar item on the small table near the window.
The aloe plant you’d gifted Jason a few weeks ago sits atop it. Surprisingly, it still looked healthy, which was nice. You’d gotten it for him because they were low maintenance, but you could never be too sure with the vigilante schedule he operated on. There’s a small bit of movement behind the plant though and - without your say so - your eye focuses on it instantly. Or at least tries to. For some reason what you’d thought was a bug ends up disappearing on you though.
The longer you look out at what amounts to nothing the more severe your frown gets, face morphing into a grimace.
The darkness feels like it’s watching you back and the prospect makes you queasy. The possibility of a potentially deadly game of hide and seek runs through your mind; somebody popping up from the darkness and smashing the window—
A particularly harsh clink from in front of you snaps your mind back to reality. Jason’s reaching for his briefly disregarded rag and gun oil, parts of a good sized rifle laid out before him, shoulders rising and falling in easy, tempered motions. Instantly you begin matching your breaths with his own, doing your best to shake the feeling of unease off.
Jason starts talking again with a low contemplative tone and you let his voice settle over you like a blanket, slumping back into the couch as you watch the back of his head.
“The barrel of a shotgun isn’t even big enough for a regular sized bean sack—”
“—Bean sack,” you parrot quietly and Jason flips you off without looking. You snicker.
“A bean sack gun,” he continues like you hadn’t interrupted, “just isn’t practical as a primary weapon. It’ll probably lock up and misfire then - look at that - you're dead.”
You huff, “Jason this is supposed to be a fun conversation.”
“This is fun,” he grunts, picking up a tiny brush to clean with.
Your eyes roll.
“Alright, whatever, what about glitter?”
“Please stop.”
You buss out laughing.
“I don’t think I want to. But- just hear me out,” you cut in when you see the furrow that takes over his face, “If Sam and Dean can shoot salt guns then I don’t see how much different glitter would be if you factor in the weight difference.”
The new expression that takes over his face is even worse than beforehand and he gives you this narrow look like he can’t believe you’re being serious.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Those guns aren’t designed for impact, just range, and,” he scoffs, “to look cool probably.”
“Ohhh—” you stop as the confusing patch of night outside the window catches your attention again before scooting farther away from the window. Why it’s even throwing you off you can’t tell, but you don’t want to stress over nothing. You clear your throat and go back to joking with him. “—You don’t think the salt shotgun is cool, Jay? Is the Red Hood too good for the Winchesters?”
“Absolutely.”
He grins at you over his shoulder and you scoff, kicking out to shove him with your foot. He barely rocks from the force of it.
After that an easy silence fills the space once more and you rest your head onto the back of the couch, breathing in deep in an attempt to quell the clench in your stomach.
When you look over again the image through the window is clearer. On the apartment across from Jay’s there’s a fire escape just slightly above his own and — you squint, crawling to the end of the couch to get a better look — and there! Right there! A short burst of breeze causes a heavy piece of fabric to flutter and what’s wrong finally becomes obvious.
You lean even further.
What should be the rest of the metal railing is blocked by a large patch of darkness that you do your best to follow with your eyes, only going a little cross-eyed and blurry in your efforts.
Passively, it occurs to you that maybe this was something you should bring to Jason’s attention. The night coming to life and inching closer wasn’t normal after all, but—
There! The fabric shifts again, another larger piece this time, and with your gaze now having something concrete to focus on more and more of the misplaced darkness starts to come into place.
Glinting stitches, a brief flash of yellow as another gust of wind displaces fabric. Then a light in the house across from you flicks on. Barely any of it leaks through their curtains, but it’s just enough to make the outline of a person perched on the railing, what you can now tell is the smear of a cape draped over the outside of the fire escape and catching the breeze every few seconds, come into staunch focus.
Your eyes go wide.
“Jason?”
His head whips around and he’s looking up at you from his disassembled cache of guns on the floor, gaze sharp. You don’t know what the hell he detected from your voice, but you can see the way his face crests once he gets a look at your expression and your stomach twists.
You didn’t think you looked that alarmed.
Jason’s gaze follows yours when you turn your head back for confirmation, and it’s brief but for a second still the same blotch of black is there before you take your next breath and it’s - the person’s - disappeared.
“Crap,” he curses and you go rigid, falling back as the sounds of him quickly reassembling a gun fill the room.
Next thing you know he’s up and walking over to open the window.
You scramble up from the couch, “Jay! Hold on, are you sure—?”
The window slides open with a small click and a few beats pass before - baffled - you watch Jason sigh and set his firearm down on the side table beside the aloe.
He sticks his head out the window.
“Cass,” he whisper-yells.
From behind Jason you watch nothing happen. It’s quiet except for the city’s usual ambiance and there's a cursory creak of old metal before—
“No, not you too, get out of here. Don’t you have a city to patrol?”
—a face appears in the window, right in front of Jason, and you take in such a harsh breath you stumble back a few steps.
So close to the window with the light from the living room as an aid you can make out the long pointed ears at the top of what you can now tell is the person’s — Batgirl’s, that was Batgirl’s — mask.
Right. Okay. You suppose if Robin popped in to visit and your boyfriend rocked a red helmet and killed people in his spare time then Batgirl also popping in wasn’t too far a stretch of the imagination. You suck in a breath until your lungs fill with enough air to make your chest twinge.
Batgirl’s low scratchy voice fills the quiet.
“The city.” Batgirl seems to fix Jason with a look but the mask makes it hard to tell, before finishing, “Will survive…five minutes.”
Then she pats the hand he still has on the window sill. “Kind of you,” you hear her say before she’s slipping in past the width of his bulk. Jason makes an exasperated noise and moves to let her in - not that she wasn’t already doing that perfectly fine on her own.
After the incident not even a full week ago Jason can’t seem to not throw you a panicked look from behind the woman. You only shrug, heartbeat steadily settling back down. At least you were awake this time. You look over the faceless vigilante, not an inch of skin - of the person underneath - showing. Though you were no less perturbed.
The only huge difference is that it was the blank mask of the Black Bat that’s staring at you from the darkness and you’re not at imminent risk of being beheaded. That was…something. You purse your lips, rocking back onto your heels with your heart in your throat.
The Bat doesn’t say a thing, just looking at you with indents that probably indicate eyes behind them and a face full of more of those glinting stitches.
Jason clears his throat, moving around so he can stand beside you.
“Is this some kind of trend now?”
His irritated grumble brings Batgirl’s attention back to him and you relax, leaning into the arm he presses into the dip of your back.
“Oh,” she breathes. You’d be pressed to think she was being sarcastic if it wasn’t for: “Heard about Robin. Seemed like…fun,” she proclaims.
You briefly wonder at the fact that you’re apparently an interesting enough deviation for Jason that you’re piquing the interest of vigilantes.
Then Batgirl’s attention shifts squarely back to you and you can’t remember how to breathe again, let alone what you were just thinking about.
“Um,” you choke out, “Hi.”
Jason’s tan hand snakes under your shirt to rub at the dark brown skin there. You focus on the warmth from the point of contact, breathing out slowly.
Batgirl’s head shifts, indicating the window behind her. “You noticed me.”
It’s not a question.
“I mean - barely,” you say. A half aborted chuckle falls past your plush lips. “I pretty much just thought I was losing it.”
“That’s good,” she says and you pause confused. She turns to Jason, tone brightening. “Robin was right. She’s impressive. For a civilian,” she concedes at the end.
When she walks up to you next she holds a hand out. After a moment of hesitation you reach out to take it, her grip is strong and when she shakes your hand you have to steady your arm or else risk her jerking you around.
“You have a good eye. Good instincts. Useful starting point…for learning.”
“She won’t be,” Jason grunts. You roll your eyes at him, you didn’t even want to be a vigilante but he didn’t have to shoot the idea down so hard.
Batgirl shrugs, “I know,” she dismisses. She squeezes softly at your hand. “Y/n. It was nice meeting you. Had to see. Who’d…put up with him,” she ends snidely.
Jason huffs and you laugh despite yourself, squeezing her hand back in turn. That seems to have been enough for her because you can just make out the smile underneath her cowl before she lets go.
She sends a parting nod Jason’s way and he scoffs quietly.
“Yeah, I know,” he says to Batgirl’s retreating form. "See you later, yeah?” he adds, voice dropping.
She stops part way through slipping out the window, half her body already lost to the darkness, before giving a curt nod. A jaunty wave is sent your way next and then…nothing.
You don’t even hear the fire escape creak before she’s melted into the shadows and disappeared back into the night.
─────
Jason doesn’t know how to conceptualize this, but he has to know. He needs that confirmation before he can truly rest easy.
There’s no one else who reads people as well as Cassandra. Maybe she’ll be able to finally get rid of the way he can’t help but jerk away from your closeness sometimes, from the natural pull you have over him. How much he can’t stay away even as reluctance and fear pulls at him.
Jason sighs.
Or help him figure out how comfortable you really were with the whole Red Hood thing. It’s not that he didn’t trust you to keep the secret, just that he wasn’t sure if you were saving face with him or not. The last thing he wants is for you to feel obligated to stay with him. Or intimidated.
Cass waits until he’s just settled beside her on the roof before speaking.
He’s silently grateful for it. For some reason verbally asking for her assessment seemed like more a betrayal than needing the read at all.
This way he can delude himself into thinking she offered the information up unprompted. Something tells him it won’t change anything; he ignores that voice.
“She’s good,” Cass nods. She pointedly doesn’t leave it at that though so Jason stays still, let’s the wind lap at his hoodie and whisp at his hair.
Cass sighs, so still her shoulders barely move, and then turns to him. There’s a low tuft in her voice like she knows exactly what he’s doing here, knows he’s looking to her for salvation.
“Good,” she stresses. Breathes in once. Exhales. “But hiding.”
Jason’s heart doesn’t skip a beat but his gut does twist, caving in on itself in a bid to hide. He starts shaking his head.
The thing about Jason, he stopped trusting his heart a long time ago. Too late to save him from some other grievances in his life but good enough to keep him alive for this long. To protect this second chance, trusting his gut has been crucial. So why did it feel like he was being gutted?
“…hiding what?” When she takes too long to answer Jason finally turns. “Cass—”
She intercepts him easily, barely a rustle of fabric before her closed fist is pressed against his breastbone. It holds him in place more firmly than it has any right to.
“She’s hiding.” She manages somehow to make him feel the weight of her eyes meeting his own before tutting at him. “So are you.”
The plea Jason’s about to let out gets stuck in the base of his throat and he clears it.
“What do you mean?”
Even in the cowl the disbelieving look Cass throws his way is clear, fabric over her brow creasing.
“You are…leading her.” Her head canters barely a centimeter to the side. “She won’t…move. Not without…looking to you…first.”
All he can do for a moment is breathe deep and swallow back the argument bubbling up his throat. They both know Cass didn’t talk if she wasn’t sure, and Cass didn’t make mistakes about these things.
This wasn’t emotions; it was pure science, and body language for someone like Cass was near impossible to skew at the base intention level. And well…Jason can’t even lie to himself enough to believe he hadn’t expected her assessment to be anything other than confirmation for what he already knew.
He shakes his head, hands shoving into his pockets, “How am I supposed to fix that Cass?”
Cass gives a blithe little shrug, turning away from him again. Her cape billows out wide behind her, wingspan almost large enough to wrap the whole of Gotham in her protective embrace.
She snipes, unrepentant, “Why do I? Have to…know?”
Her voice carries on the wind with more leniency than the question suggests.
Jason sighs, rolling his shoulders back and shifting to look out over the stretch of rooftops laid out before them also.
“You don’t,” he grunts. “Sorry— thanks for this Cass. I owe you.”
She nods, shrugging.
“Cool,” she says. “I’ll call. If I…feel like it.”
He can almost hear the smile in her voice. He imagines it’s the little barely tolerate one she tends to give him. It’s not the smirk he knows she’s prone towards sporting with the others, but the fact he gets anything more than the blank look she gives when she’s mad but doesn’t have the energy or the words to say anything more to him is miraculous enough. He’s lucky to have any of her good will at all considering how heated some of their past conversations have gotten.
Cass never treats him like he’s a ghost, more so like she’s doing him a favor; looking past all the skeletons peeking over his shoulder to see Jason. Just Jason.
It’s not great. Even if he does know why.
It’s not the way you look at him; like he’s whole. Like the him that you want is exactly what’s in front of you, not some specter from the past or poor imitation you have to put up with.
One of Cass’s hands moves to rest against the holster on her belt and she raises one foot to prop up on the border surrounding the roof before leaning into his space.
She punches his shoulder, softly for her, and he takes it.
“You. Should keep her…a civilian. Jason,” she stresses. “An alive one.”
Jason hasn’t even begun to react before Cass is tilting forward, firing off her grappling gun and dropping off the roof in a second.
‘I’m trying,’ Jason thinks at the charcoal of her cape.
He takes another few minutes to look out over the city, let the sounds of a broken metropolis and its people wash over him - for his gut to settle back into stone - and then he climbs down the fire escape.
NOTES: Hope you enjoyed!!!
Alright, so, this is my first time really writing Cass so don’t hate me. I didn’t want to shove her into a ‘woman who soothes a man’s woes’ role, but I did still want to give her and Jason a more tolerant and supportive relationship than they’d ever have canonically (and this is a Jason-centric story so some centering is inevitable). Also, I tried to match her speech patterns from the 2000’s comics so don’t come for me, she usually only speaks in four word sentences at the longest and breaks her sentences up so she can presumably search for the word she needs, otherwise her grammar is totally fine so yeah, hopefully my portrayal of her wasn’t too too bad. I will be advancing her sentence structure and speech patterns when she shows up again in a later part in order to depict how her speech advances in the comics too, just because I want to practice with her some more. Also just believe that once Cass realized the Reader-Insert had sensed her she stayed in a more compromising position (in front of a potential light source) just to really test how well she’d be at actually finding her after sensing something was off.
Keep in mind that this is “wholesome” bat family fanon, but that I lean towards post-crisis when it comes to characterization and comics I read for reference (except for Duke obviously) because I largely like post-crisis canon more. Though, how I write Damian is definitely more based on the DCAMU version of him because that was my introduction to his character, but I am working on getting closer to his canon character voice for my own sake since he will be showing back up later in this series (& just in general I’ve slightly shifted how I write Jason as well since part one).
btw: if you’d like to leave a comment I’d very much appreciate it!
Slightly Rewritten - 6/30/24 (bc the way I reread this and was like “well, tell the woman thank you, goddamn” immediately told me I needed to rewrite some dialogue; like, even though I was trying not to I still ended up prioritizing Jason too much at the end)
Alt. Banner (scrapped) —
(source - Batman: Wayne Family Adventures)
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