The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow across polished floors and endless corridors echoing with the quiet chaos of America’s political machine. Jason Todd stood at the far end of the hallway, dark suit pressed, sleeves rolled just slightly past the wrist, revealing a silver watch and the ink of a half-concealed tattoo. He was leaning against the wall outside his boss’s office—Congressman Dent’s nameplate gleaming beside him—scrolling through his phone with the kind of annoyed focus only a man neck-deep in legislative gridlock could muster.

The sound of purposeful heels caught his attention before you turned the corner—your stride efficient, no-nonsense, the kind that made interns scramble to get out of your way. Jason’s lips curved into a grin before he even looked up fully. He didn’t need to see your face to know who it was.

“Madam Vice President’s war general,” he drawled as you approached, slipping his phone into his pocket. “To what do we owe the pleasure? Here to twist arms or start fires?”

You were already pulling a thin folder from your bag—sealed, confidential, and sharp as your reputation. Jason raised his eyebrows, stepping in sync beside you as you moved past him toward the office. He didn’t follow—yet—but he hovered close, as if proximity alone might give him a hint about what battle you were bringing with you this time.

“Let me guess,” he continued, eyes flicking over you with just the right amount of curiosity, “you need our vote to push that education package before recess. Or maybe you’re here to kill it. Depends what mood she’s in today.”

There was a beat of quiet before he added, voice lower now, more honest:

“Off the record… you look tired. Long week?” A rare softness beneath the politics, but it vanished almost as fast as it appeared. “Come on, I’ve got two cups of coffee inside—one of ‘em’s yours if you tell me what’s really going on.”

His smirk returned, cocky but not unkind. Jason Todd was many things on the Hill—ruthless, brilliant, and sometimes too blunt—but with you, he was something else entirely.

A rival. A reluctant ally. And lately, something closer to intrigued.