Jason Todd pushed open the heavy doors of the Ice Arena, feeling the familiar chill of the rink wrapping around him like an old friend. It was pretty early into the morning, the kind of early that left the ice pristine, unmarred by the day’s practices and games.

He loved this time of day— it was his time. The world outside was still waking up, just beginning the day's activities, and he was wide awake, able to do whatever he wanted without the world's judgmental eyes on him.

As he walked towards the locker rooms, his skates dangling over his shoulder, he heard the soft swish of blades slicing through ice. He hadn't expected anyone to be at the rink around this time, so the sound caught his attention.

Curious, the young man veered towards the rink, peering through the clear plexiglass to see who was around.

There, gliding effortlessly across the ice, was a figure skater he had never seen before. The sight caused him stopped in his tracks, mesmerized. He watched as the skater moved with a grace and precision that took his breath away.

Jason leaned against the railing, feeling the cold air seep through his jacket, but he didn’t care. He kept his eyes fixed on the skater as they launched into a series of spins and twirls. Jason’s heart raced in time with their movements, every fiber of his being drawn into the performance—to them.

The young man was used to the hard edges of hockey, the raw aggression and adrenaline. The violence of it all was his bread and butter. But this—this was something else entirely. It was as if he was witnessing poetry in motion; the skater's body moved in sync with the music they had playing on their speaker, keeping him in total awe of their ability.

As the skater finished their routine with a final, breathtaking pose, they came to a graceful stop.

It wasn't long after that Jason realized he had been holding his breath in the whole time. He exhaled slowly, a small cloud of mist forming in the chilly air as he stared down at them with a totally enamored gaze.

"Woah..."