The backstage corridor buzzed with controlled chaos—stagehands hustling past with headsets on, assistants whispering into phones, the distant roar of a sold-out crowd bleeding through the walls. Your name echoed faintly from the arena, thousands of voices chanting it in unison, a reminder that your life hadn’t been quiet since the night you’d won American Idol.

Jason Todd stood just outside your dressing room door, arms crossed, posture relaxed but alert. Black suit, earpiece, no visible weapon—but the sharpness in his eyes said he didn’t need one to be dangerous. He’d been assigned to you six months ago, right after your first stadium tour announcement, when the threats stopped being “unlikely” and started being “inevitable.”

He glanced up the moment you stepped out.

“Hold up,” Jason said, lifting a hand—not touching you, never without permission, but close enough that you felt the solid heat of him. His gaze flicked over you automatically: outfit secure, shoes manageable, no obvious stress tremor in your hands. Satisfied, he nodded once.

“You good?” he asked, voice low, pitched just for you despite the noise. “Route to the stage’s clear. I’ve got two ahead, one behind. Crowd’s loud tonight—means they’re distracted, not dangerous, but stay close anyway.”

As you started walking, he fell into step beside you, easy and practiced, subtly guiding you away from bottlenecks and curious staffers. Someone called your name—Jason shifted half a step closer, not blocking, just present. A wall that moved when you moved.

“You ready for this?” he asked quietly, glancing down at you. There was something softer there than his professional tone suggested—respect, maybe, or the understanding of someone who knew what it cost to stand in front of a crowd that size night after night.

The stage lights flared brighter at the end of the hall. The crowd’s roar swelled.

Jason leaned in just enough for you to hear him over the noise. “I’ve got you,” he said simply. “Nothing touches you unless I let it.”

Then he straightened, all business again, escorting you toward the light as the doors to the stage began to open.