DIRTY CLOTHES AND CUTE MEETING
(jason todd x fem!reader)
𝒲 ho could have predicted that going to a laundromat at night—especially in gotham city, would lead to developing a crush on a cute stranger?
you did not meant to go out at past midnight in the streets of Gotham city— you just had a little emergency.
washing clothes emergency precisely.
it was not usual for you to be forgetful, but with your uni life as a student at the Gotham University—and especially at this time of the year where important exams were held; it was hard to focus on multiple things at once.
with this pressure, you felt like you had spent more of your time at the uni library than in your small apartment. the problem was here— you worked too much, which led you to neglect your routine.
and so, it meant you forgot to have your clothes washed before an even more exhaustive week begins.
here you are now, walking though the dark city yet active for a place where it is not recommended at all to go when the stars start shining.
your back is aching and you can't guess if it is the fault of the huge bag of dirty clothes you're carrying, or by the shrimp posture you usually have when you're diving in your studies.
...it's definitely your usual bad posture.
still in your mind, walking with a fast enough cadence and eyes avoiding eye contacts with whoever gothamite stranger. you precipitated yourself to the laundromat, not because you feared it to be closed—no it’s always open 24/7.
no you precipitated yourself to avoid getting involved into whatever gangs fights, or worst— stumbling into a vigilante.
because vigilante goes with far more problems and enemies behind your back…
—and it was the last thing you needed.
the laundromat was indeed opened and luckily for you, three washing machines were available—even tho for you, you only required one, it was good to know that those machines got repaired since the last fight involving Robin and some men working for Penguin left a pretty damaged place…
you put your dirty clothes and the washing products in the machine and then pay for your cycle for the hour.
your clothes now being washed, and the washing machine turns like the others.—leaving you now in waiting for the cycle to end, and being alone in a place safe enough to stay an hour.
you breath slowly and let yourself have a moment of calm— as the only sound known were the ones of the washing machines; you then check your phone as an automatism. looking if you’d receive a message or two but end up with nothing.
digitals numbers read 12:10am. with an hour in front of you,
you decided to take an advance for your next test on wednesday by working there; you secretly hoped that no one would bother you— and if so, there are cameras. this place is nearly safe you guess?.
beside, at this hour, only normal citizen like you from the neighborhood could be here. there’s no reason for bad guys to come by unless this place hide somewhere a weapons room—which you doubt.
this neighborhood of yours is pretty calm, in a Gotham way let’s say.
sitting on the floor due to the absence of chairs, with books and pens opened around yourself and without forgetting your wired earphones blasting music in your ears, helping you to dive in your history study.
you found yourself easily working, and distracted by your book in this place that serves as your usual so called uni library— if you set aside the coldness of the laundromat with it aggressive white light, similar to the ones from the malls. it would never replace the coziness and the warmth of your familiar working place.
for now, no one dared to bother you— yet.
“ i attend you tomorrow’s night at 9:00pm at The Iceberg Lounge for a conversation with the Penguin. Robin discovers a probable human trafficking case again. be there. ”
the message could be read on jason’s burner phone, sent by an unknown number— he already knew it was from his adoptive father and the protector of Gotham who is none but Batman.
“fuck, is he serious?” at this hour he sent me this message? seriously. jason grumbled to himself as he sat on the fire escape of his apartment for a brief moment of respite and thought.
it’s been almost two days since he did his last patrol. his night-work left his suit dirty to a point that he tried everything within his grasp to clean it : soap that make every stain disappear (the one everyone possesses), products recommended by girls on the internet. no. nothing could do it.
jason got up from his crouching position, locking the window behind him. walking with a slow cadence and eventually deciding to try one last time to aggressively rub his work outfit as if the rough pressure would magically make his problem disappear —or perhaps to see that somewhat the stains and dirt were not that bad after all.
after a moment of contemplation of this mess that is his Red Hood suit. standing in his bathroom with foam everywhere and surprisingly smooth and good scenting hands. jason exhaled a long breath, closing his eyes— unhappy of the situation, he knew he had only two options left to him.
the first one very displeased him, the other were—a bit unconscientious.
it’s been not too long ago since he again had a fight and eventually disappointed his father’s trust— jason was still fired up against bruce’s no-killing rule. his ego, everything in him refused to go to the manor, ask alfred to work a miracle for his suit.
so the last option it is— the niche laundromat of the neighborhood.
the advantage was that only the locals of the neighborhood knew about it, the place was pretty small but convenient. he never took a step in there but saw the room always lighten up when he came from his patrol. a 24/7 laundromat, with cameras that definitely do not work— this could be promising.
but jason was still reticent, going out and carrying his suit in a public space could be really risky. the Red Hood is a menacing persona— it needs to stay like it. plus jason certainly did not need his face revealed and inked in the Gotham Globe newspaper.
looking at the time from the alarm clock indicating 11:40pm in a bright red— he hoped that no one would be at the laundromat, he means; at this hour what average gothamite would go outside?
this though unconsciously gave him the boost of confidence he needed.
selling his suit in a sport bag, he put on a dark red hoodie over his white thigh tank top, a black jeans, then tied his running shoes. keys in his right pocket, jason made his way to the laundromat; in the rainy night of gotham, with his hood over his head.
tonight the Red Hood was out— for a more civilized lifestyle mission.
despite his little boost of confidence earlier. jason, as an automatism took a look at every corner of the laundry station street for possible treats.
like he predicted—no one was in the laundromat.
in a record time of two minutes and thirty seconds, jason deals with his dirty Red Hood suit situation— throwing the clothes with the grace of a bowling player aiming for the pin; he even make sure to pour a sufficient amount of detergent so his suit will be as clean as ever.
“guess i have to be around there for an hour.” as he set his watch for the time the cycle will be over.
the hour passed surprisingly quickly, jason todd took advantage of this time to eventually “patrolling around” in the shadow, and even helped a kid to make his way back to his house as the child told him he went to play football with his friends. but at his house the door were locked— so jason as a good civilian, he broken it.
this accounting reminded him of a happy part of his childhood— he used to have the same hangouts, mainly because jason avoided his home and his violent father and after willis left— he avoided his mom’s dealer.
as he checked his watch, it was 12:40am.
jason decided to come back to the laundromat around ten minutes earlier, wanting to profit from the little warmth that offered the place; it was better than hanging around outside, in the pouring rain and howling wind.
on the way back, jason todd was in his thoughts—walking casually, comfortable. knowing that after he has taken his suit, we would certainly have a good sleep thanks to his “patrol” in the shadow.
his body stop before his mind understood why. while he came near the laundromat—the one who’s supposed to be empty of people. at this hour of the night—day?
was, well…definitely not empty.
jason’s jaw clenches, he swallows— he have to go take back his clothes. this is nonnegotiable. he cannot let his things there another hour, awaiting this person, girl— pretty girl. concentrated. pretty concentrated girl— oh whatever jason.
awaiting this pretty girl who'd possibly—he don’t know, steal his work outfit?
and as he analyzed, she seem concentrated; minding her own business. she even have wired earphones— she would probably at one hundred percent not notice him.
and even if— if she notices him, nothing weird could be assumed right? he’s a random dude, wearing random clothes— shut up todd. just open the goddamn door instead of standing awkwardly outside.
opening the glass door, jason took exactly two steps to position himself back resting on the dirty white wall with a ridiculous distance from the sated girl on the floor; who indeed did not acknowledged him.
he let himself have a relief breath. good, now he have to wait for about four minutes and fifty nine seconds before his cycle stop.
the minutes passed to quickly, he did not saw his machine’s cycle stopping nor he heard the small beeps from his settled watch—no jason todd was too concentrated to watch someone who were as well concentrated too, studying.
no thoughts in his brain could give a reasonable explanation for why he was analyzing you— a synonym in the jason todd’s dictionary for being fascinated by you.
you were just so— effortless. effortlessly beautiful. effortless by doing pretty much nothing.
just effortless at all— that is why he thinks he lost his breath for a second.
even with the most awkward shrimp pose you sat with, the way your hair was messy and by your serious side profile— he naturally thought that if a word could fit you, it would be beautiful.
jason todd catch the way he lost his breath for a second, but did not catch his watch beeping nor his suit waiting for him.
proud. you were pretty proud of yourself for this one hour studying session in the middle of the night. somewhere between the twentieth and thirtieth minute, you entered a literal feral flow state that gave you the ability to tackle a huge chapter that was supposed to take you at least five hours to study.
glancing at your phone for the hour—in nearly five minutes your clothes will be ready! perfect.
bringing your bag closer by your side, putting the caps back on your pencils to tide them in your pencil case, you took all your handouts made earlier, stacking them in your white translucide folder. then you took your books; everything put in your bag, classified the way you liked.
standing up, you did not bother to be aware of your surroundings since none at nearly 01:00am could be here.— obviously.
taking out your white wired headphones, with the will of stacking them messily in your hoodie’s pocket— that only then, you catch a dark mass at the corner of your eyes.
like a reflex, your body startles. paralyzed for a second you fix this dark mass— this guy— nice looking guy— with rounded eyes like a deer caught in the headlights. and your hand still in the air as an action for taking out your left earphone still in your ear while the other falls off on your chest.
rapidly you swallow—trying to get over this surprise.
smiling awkwardly, you bowed your head a little. only a small hello came out from your mouth, and you blamed yourself for not saying it louder.
not wanting to be seen as weird and also to stop the long eye contact with the stranger you have, you automatically again get a look at your phone’s notifications, and again, no messages.
glancing everywhere but where the nice-looking guy was, you couldn’t shut the thought that he could be—possibly a danger. you finally glance down at the main objects of why both of you (you think) were for.
your machine indicated the end of the cycle in one minute and eleven seconds, while the one beside was— already ended.
okay, your heart lost a beat for that. why this now weird guy did not take his laundry?
—“ i think your cycle ended” no way you just said that. and yet these words left your mouth in a pretty loud volume for someone who did not wish to have problems at this hour of the night—day?
again both of you were stuck making eye contact.
dammit you were prettier when you looked at him like that. jason could feel a rush of adrenaline flooding his brain— shit, he couldn’t keep looking at you! now you must think he’s a weirdo.
“what did you say?”—he felt his senses were in a blur?
“your machine, the washing cycle had ended”
oh shoot. right. you embarrassed yourself todd and creeped out a girl. cool.
“i-didn’t—uh. noticed— thanks’” he only managed to mumble as he rushed toward the machine.
and after that he functioned in slow-motion, his brain short-circuiting. he couldn’t think straight.
jason was moving like a martian trying to copy the way a human act.
crouching in front of the washing machine, unzipping his sport bag letting it fall on his right side. he opened the rounded translucide door, to get a hand at whatever was coming first in his hands.
jason gave none of his attention at why he was here to begin with. how could he be, while you were literally beside him in a distance of less than one meter as your cycle just ended? he could even smell your scent— was it from your hair or your hoodie?
both of you tried in a blank silence to avoid and forget each other’s presence while minding your business.— right, the clothes.
you stopped your movements. jason could feel it, you were stiff— much more than earlier when he surprised you.
did he scare you? no! if so you would have quickly run away from this damn place.
why were you looking at him like that— no. you weren’t staring right at his face.
it was lower. like staring at something in his hands.
in his palms, here, was laying the front of his Red Hood armor. the red bat out and exposed.
alright now, he thought his first option—simply going to the manor and putting his ego aside, was probably the smartest choice.
but that too late.— and he revealed his identity like an amateur.
okay now bruce can be disappointed in him.
hand clinging the suit, jason cursed himself inwardly. and with reticence he looked up.
once more in a eye contact with the pretty girl.
Jason only caught the way your glossy lips moved, uttering those four words that would definitely haunt him at night.
