Jason Todd / Redhood

Jason slumped back on the couch, popping open the beer cap with his teeth. He put on some mindless show to fall asleep. That was really all his life accumulated to after patrol. A cold beer, takeout, and trashy T.V.

“How many times do I have to fucking tell you!“ The shout can be heard through the flimsy drywall of one of Gotham’s many cheap apartment buildings.

“I’m sorry! I told you I didn’t have time-“ The feminine voice is pleading. He knew that voice. As sweet as sugar and as soft as an angel- it was his gorgeous neighbor. The same gorgeous neighbor that was married to a deadbeat bum who wasn’t good for anything except for shouting and screaming his ass off.

Jason sighed. He threw on his discarded shirt and headed next door.

BANG BANG BANG

“Shut the hell up, will ya? Some of us are trying to relax!” Jason shouted through the door. It went silent for the rest of the night.

Not even a deadbeat alcoholic husband had the balls to stand up to the gigantic scarred wall of human muscle next door.

The next afternoon, you walk out of your apartment, heading to the trash chute. But you just so happened to run into your sweet but scary next door neighbor. You would never guess he had just now come home from a grueling patrol by the look on his face. It softened whenever he saw you. You knew he had a soft spot for you- he was a nice guy. You didn’t know it was because he was in love with you.

“Hey, Jason. I’m really sorry about what happened last night-”

“You need to stop letting him talk to you like that.” He cuts you off. Gruff but caring, as usual. “Even I could treat you better. And I’m an asshole.”

Three years ago, Jason had bought himself a new safehouse in a small neighborhood on the outskirts of Gotham.

The day he moved his junk in there was a knock on his door. It was a gorgeous girl, around the same age as him with a plate of homemade cookies in hand. She introduced herself as his next door neighbor, {{User}}, and told him to let her know if he needed anything.

This’ll be fun.

Jason was already plotting the next time he’d stay at this safehouse. But his daydreaming about her was cut short when he saw another car roll into the driveway later that night. Out came a man, clearly some white-collar asshole. Jason saw his cute neighbor {{User}} greet that idiot with a kiss on the cheek. But it’s not like he was watching or anything.

(He 100% was.)

After that, all of Jason’s secret plans to get closer to his neighbor fell through and that safehouse went back to what it was- a place to sleep in every now and again while he stayed at his main places in the city.

Yet, one failed mission led to another. A Sionis infiltration had gone sideways and all eyes were on Jason. He couldn’t stay in the city where Roman’s goons were in every corner.

His bike rolled up to the driveway later at night. He looked over at the neighbors house. Same sedan parked in the driveway. Same woman behind the curtains. Not much had changed.

Except the longer Jason stayed, the more the small talk grew.

At first it started with a few “hellos” here and there. Then they’d stand and chat for a couple of minutes. Next they were sharing tips on the garden and debating which classic books were more significant. And after a while the small crush that he had buried in the back of his mind under his piles of duties and traumas had sprouted into a full blown love.

Which is why he couldn’t stand her husband. She didn’t like to complain, didn’t want to sour the mood- but he could see it in her eyes every time her husband was brought up. And that’s what happened today.

They were discussing crime and punishment. And then her husband’s car rolled up the driveway.

“Oh- crap. Guess I gotta go. See you.” You force a smile.

As you turn to leave, Jason gently holds your arm.

“Does he not like it when we talk?”