DC Imagines

othello pt 2 - jason todd

"I thought you said you wanted to get coffee," you started when you noticed Jason veering away from where your regular coffee shop should've been, choosing to cut through the street and venture to a different path entirely. "Because you just-"
    "Yeah, I know, I'm hungry," he deadpanned, slipping his hands into his pockets and tilting his head towards another row of stores illuminated with neon-lights and flickering street lamps. "This place has better than overpriced coffee, promise." You let out an exaggerated gasp of shock at that notion and he laughed, nudging your shoulder with his.
    It was always strange to be walking around Gotham during the night, but with Jason by your side, it was far less worrying than it usually was. On your own, you couldn't even imagine traveling around the dark streets littered with muggers, petty thieves, and the occasional evil clown prince or two - one minute, you'd be speed-walking down the streets, the next minute you could end up as the lucky winner of Scarecrow's fear-gas testing special.
    You actually knew someone who had been in that very situation. They were in Arkham now.
    With Jason, it was almost ridiculous how much safer you felt. It didn't take a whole lot of observational skills to notice how the men who usually leered at you and your friends when you passed shrank and slipped into the shadows when a man over 6 feet in height and built like a tank walked past them. Jason himself was in a good mood tonight, his shoulders relaxed and a slight smile playing at his lips while he told you about the local theatrical-adaptation of Othello that was currently under production near your school.
    You were getting used to seeing him like this - not so moody, smiling, present - but you had also noticed the expressions he had when no one was looking, when he wasn't thinking about anything in particular, when his gaze had a certain intensity to them that you hadn't ever quite seen before. He didn't really like talking about himself or his life, preferring to keep conversations centered around school or you. The few times you had tried asking about his family and work had all led to him clamming up and quickly dropping the subject, his body language rigid and completely closed-off, the crease by his brows deepening as his expression transformed into a scowl. It was the first time you realized that Jason Todd could actually be genuinely scary - and the first time you realized there was a much, much darker side of him that you weren't sure if you wanted to see.
    You knew it wasn't your place to pry, and you had never brought it up since - but you couldn't help but wonder just what had happened to make someone like him so angry.
    "...and I figured we could - did you just zone out on me?"
    You snapped back into attention at his rather dramatic gasp, flinching out of your character analysis to pay actual mind to the man in question himself.
    "No, I just-"
    "Yeah? What did I just say?" Jason challenged, grasping your arm to pull you away from the traffic lane you had nearly walked right into. His disbelieving expression made your face burn red - but much to your relief (and embarrassment), he was laughing.
    "I'm sorry, I wasn't completely zoned out-"
    "After you literally walked into traffic? Yeah, I can tell," he deadpanned, tugging you towards him right as the cars slowed to a halt, the pedestrian signal blinking above you. The sudden action and the sudden closeness made your face heat up - something he apparently noticed when his bright green eyes flickered across your features and caused a smirk to tug at his lips. Instead of the teasing you had braced yourself for, you watched as he tilted his head towards the diner across the street, letting go of your arm. "It's right over there, c'mon."
    He was already moving towards the crosswalk when you shook yourself out of your stupor, quickly moving to catch up with him and glancing up at the diner. The big glowing red letters on the sign beside it read "Annie B's".
    "They got good food," he explained at your questioning look, leaning forwards to swing the door open for you. "I used to hang around here a lot when I was a kid."
    "I don't think I've actually seen this place before," you commented, entering and hearing Jason close the door behind him, taking a quick glance around before you took a seat in one of the cherry-red and white leather booths. "Kinda wish I had."
    The entire place had a vintage touch to it, from the luminescent pink and blue lights lining the ceilings to the multicolored tile floors, the cherry-red barstools, and even the jukebox in the corner cranking out old-timey tunes. There were only a few other people sitting at the bar and chilling in a booth a few down from your own, all too absorbed in their own worlds to pay much mind to the two of you. You could hear the sizzling of the food being made back in the kitchen, emitting a heavenly aroma that made your stomach growl not-so subtly. Jason laughed as he slid down across from you, sliding one delicate paper menu over as he scanned over the other.
    "Pretty cool, huh? And like I said, they got great food." He nodded at your stomach and you rolled your eyes, eliciting another laugh from him. "Knock yourself out, dinner's on me." Before you could open your mouth to object, the kitchen doors flew open and a girl stepped out holding a heaping tray of food.
    "One chicken fried steak with a side of mashed potatoes and rings," she announced as she set down the trays in front of a man sitting in the booth a few away from them, already moving to refill his glass with a pitcher of water. "Enjoy your dinner, Phil."
    "Thanks, Dana," the man told her as he picked up his fork and gave her a crooked-toothed grin, already digging into his food. "Always do."
    "I sure hope so," the lady agreed, moving to walk back towards the kitchen before catching sight of them. She broke into a grin at the sight of Jason sending her a playful salute, changing course to head towards their booth instead. "Well, look who it is!" she exclaimed, securing her curly black hair out of her face with an orange-and-green bandana as she stopped in front of them. "Jason Todd decided to drop by for a little visit, did he? And he brought a friend."
    The sight of her beaming at you was too contagious for you to not smile back up at her.
    "Hi, Dana," Jason grinned, nodding at you as she looked between the two of you. "This is Y/N. Y/N, Dana Harlowe. Her dad runs this place."
    "It's so nice to meet you," Dana told you with another grin, leaning forwards to shake your hand in greeting. "When I decided to help out at the diner tonight, I wasn't expecting a miracle. I definitely didn't think this boy would ever walk in here with a date of all things-"
    "Oh as if," Jason scoffed loudly as she laughed, face reddening beneath the bright colored lights. "Have you seen me? I was born a lady-killer." He shot you a wink and you sent him another playful eye roll.
    "Yeah, you sure killed me alright." Dana burst out laughing again as Jason immediately let out a protest of betrayal at your words.
    "I like you," she decided when she finally managed to straighten, taking out her notepad and pen with another brilliant smile. "Did y'all decide what you wanted yet, or do you need another minute?" Jason glanced over at you and you nodded back up at her.
    "Sure, I'm ready."
    Dana headed back into the kitchen for your food after you ordered, leaving the two of you to sit in a comfortable, familiar silence, the sound of forks scraping against porcelain plates and vintage beats being the only disruptors.
    "I used to hear these songs on Gotham City Radio all the time," Jason finally began after taking a sip of his water, fixating his gaze back on you as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the leather seat. "Growing up, I mean. I still do, sometimes."
    "Classic jazz?" You grinned, taking a small sip of your own water in turn. "You? I didn't get that vibe from you." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck with a slight shrug.
    "At my old place, I had, uh, a butler. He wasn't really a butler, honestly, he was more like a dad than anything. Or, like, a really cool grandpa. He had a whole rack of guns and shit he kept polished in this big cabinet thing-" You raised a brow, attempting to hide your amusement by taking another sip of water. You were a little surprised that he had actually started talking about his family at all - you weren't about to ruin it, and boy, did you want to know more about the guy. "And he used to play that station all the time at home, GC Radio classics. I guess I kinda missed hearing it."
    "He does sound pretty cool," you admitted with a smile, setting the glass back down. "Do you still visit him?" Jason hesitated a few moments before attempting a nonchalant shrug. You noticed the tightness in his body language again, the same sort of tightness you saw when he was closing up around you.
    "Not much anymore," he finally said, letting his shoulders drop a little bit. "It's been...a while. Just got some shit going on." You watched him take another drink before you spoke again.
    "If you ever want to talk about it with me - or talk about anything, really - you can, Jason." It wasn't just the benefits of your psychology major showing through you - you meant it, and the slight smile playing at his lips seemed to signal that he had as well.
    "Don't worry about it, seriously. But thanks." You nodded, looking up again when the kitchen doors flew open once again, Dana heading out towards your table with another two trays heaped with mouth-watering food.
    "And here you go," she smiled as she set your respective meals down before you, taking your glasses to refill them as well. "Enjoy your food, you two. Call me over if there's anything else you need, yeah?" You both thanked Dana as she sashayed away again, letting the doors swing shut behind her once again after checking up on the rest of her customers.
    Neither of you wasted any time digging into the food as soon as it appeared, finishing most of it in mere minutes like the starving university students you were, breaking the silence with the occasional offer at trying something the other had gotten. The aroma had been no false-alarm - it tasted even better than you had anticipated, and that was certainly saying something. Savory fries, buttery biscuits, and smoky burgers were better than pretty much any other place you had been served by.
    "How did I not find this place sooner?" you sighed as you pressed a napkin to your lips, leaning back against your seat as you tried to process just how full you really felt. At this rate, you would have to roll your way out of the place. "I know you said it was gonna be good, but I didn't expect it to be this good."
    "I told you," Jason grinned as he finished up the last of his burger and fries, crumpling up his own napkins and setting them into the tray to throw away. "I know good food places! I grew up around these streets."
    "So did I!" you protested as he laughed and stood up to throw all the trash away, setting the trays back where they were supposed to go and pulling out his wallet just as Dana appeared by the kitchen's window with two milkshakes.
    "You can count these on the house," she told him as she slid them over, ignoring his protests and sending you a wink as you stood up from the booth as well. "Enjoy your night - and it was real nice meeting you, Y/N. Todd, I better be seeing you around more often."
    "Yes ma'am," he deadpanned, his smile warm as she waved them out anyways. "Thanks, Dana."
    You called out a thanks to her as well, tightening your jacket around you as you left the warmth of the diner and felt the chill of Gotham's dreary nights hit you once more. Jason handed you your milkshake, bringing his own straw to his lips and taking a sip.
    "You guys seem close," you noted with a smile as you took a sip yourself, relishing the cold, sweet taste of the shake in delight. Jason chuckled at that, shrugging as you walked along the illuminated sidewalks in no particular direction.
    "She's like an annoying older sister to me. I've known her since I was a real puny kid." You watched as the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile as he took another sip. "Dana, her sister, and her dad were good to me growing up. They're great people."
    That, you had been able to tell just from meeting the woman herself.
    "I liked meeting her. She was pretty cool." He chuckled again and spared you another glance. "And thanks, by the way, for dinner tonight. It really was delicious. And way better than coffee."
    "I told you," he grinned, flickering those brilliant green eyes across your face again. "I know where the good spots around Gotham are. We don't have a lot, but when we do, they're pretty damn good." That elicited a laugh from you and Jason stopped beneath one of the streetlamps lining the sidewalk.
    "You did better than I expected, Todd." He made a big show of popping his collar, scoffing at your comment.
    "What, you expected me to not impress you? Do you think that low of me?"
    "That theatre minor of yours is really starting to make an entrance, you can put it away now-"
    "Hey!" You burst out laughing and he couldn't help but join. You felt pretty sure that he looked the happiest right then and there than you had ever really seen him - whatever that might've meant. Pretty soon, your laughter was residing and he had taken a slight step forwards, a cheeky grin still plastered on his face. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."
    You looked back up at him with a nonchalant shrug despite fighting back another smile yourself.
    "Yeah, it was a pretty good night." His gaze flickered towards your lips before settling back on your face.
    "Yeah?" The sounds of honking cars and the murmurs of people walking past all around you felt like they were being drowned out somehow when you felt him get a little bit closer. The smile tugged at the corner of your mouth again.
    "Yeah." Another moment passed before Jason finally closed the distance between you, meeting your lips with a surprisingly gentle kiss for a man who looked like he could snap a baseball bat with his bare hands. You wrapped your arms around his neck after yet another second, feeling him draw you even closer to him at the action.
    Literally and figuratively, it was a sweet kiss. The milkshake truly had done wonders.
    You were a little breathless when he finally pulled away, and you hoped the shitty streetlight would keep him from seeing just how red your face had gone. Jason was grinning at your reaction, rubbing the back of his neck.
    "C'mon, that was better than pretty good."
    "Shut up," you told him immediately, swatting his arm and moving to continue your walk again as he laughed and easily moved to catch up to you, slinging an arm around your shoulders.
    "It was! You gotta admit it, that was pretty great-"
    "Shut up, Jason."
   
    And once again, you had Othello of all things to thank for your night. Maybe, just maybe, it hadn't been such a terrible book after all.