#JasonToddHasALibrarian

[misakiisstupid]

Jason Todd and the Unexpected Librarian Friendship™

Look, we all know that Jason Todd is a complicated guy. He’s got a history with his family, a painful past, and a very unconventional sense of justice. But what Gotham doesn’t know is that there’s one person Jason has a soft spot for: Mildred, the retired librarian who knits like a boss.

You know her. The sweet old lady who always smells like lavender and has glasses perched just below her nose. But Mildred? She’s a woman of surprising depth. Oh, she’s been around the block more than once, and she’s got stories—like that time she was a retired drill sergeant and probably taught Jason more than one useful combat technique when he stumbled into her library bleeding out in his Red Hood costume after a particularly rough night. No one ever talks about that. No one needs to know.

Anyway, Jason didn’t mean to become friends with Mildred. But one day he stumbled into her library, half-dead and covered in blood (because Gotham’s really fun like that), and she just… patched him up.

No questions asked. No weird stares. Just, “Sweetheart, you look like you need a nice cup of tea and a bandage, so sit down before I put you in the corner like the misbehaving little brat you are.” Mildred, who’d probably spent her days dealing with soldiers and their egos, knew exactly how to patch up his wounds. And she definitely wasn’t phased by him being ridiculously cranky about the whole thing.

But what started as a simple “You’re not dying in my library, kid” soon turned into a bookish bonding ritual. They started meeting regularly—because, of course, who else would Jason talk to about his low-key obsession with classic crime thrillers and weird conspiracy books? Not the Batfamily. Definitely not the Batfamily. They'd just never get it.

But Mildred? She’s on a whole different level.

They would swap books like old pals, each giving the other recommendations and predictions of what they’d like. Jason would show up, all casual, and say things like, “I know you’ll probably like this one. It’s got a plot twist that made me want to smash my own skull into the nearest wall, but in a good way.” Mildred would just smile and nod, handing him a book in return, with the quiet confidence of someone who has read everything already.

But here's the fun part: Jason never tells anyone about Mildred. His family, specifically, has no idea about this… special relationship. When they ask about the next crime scene or where the Riddler's clues are hidden, Jason's like, "I know a person who’s already read that book. I’ll just give her a call."

The family: Huh????

“Wait—what? Who? You know a person who’s read the book the Riddler mentioned?”

Jason: “Yeah, she’s read, like, everything. I’ll just ask her about the Riddler’s clue, no big deal.”

Tim: “Jason. Who is this person???”

Jason: "Oh, just Mildred. She works at the library. Old lady, real cool, might have taught me how to knit. Do you want me to tell her you said ‘hi’?"

Everyone: Completely and utterly confused, because there’s no way Red Hood, the angry guy who punches people in the face for a living, is besties with a sweet librarian who knits sweaters.

But here’s the kicker: Mildred knows. She knows Jason is the Red Hood. Of course she does. She’s not an idiot. She may be an old lady who looks like she’s just there to shuffle through books, but Mildred has seen things. She’s a retired drill sergeant who still has the instincts of a soldier. The second Jason walked into her library bleeding, she knew exactly who he was. And she didn’t blink an eye.

“Now, you listen here, sweetheart,” she’d say as she patched him up. “Next time you’re gonna get yourself shot up, at least do it in a way that doesn’t ruin my upholstery.”

Jason would just grunt, knowing that Mildred had more layers than an onion. She never asked how he got hurt, she never pushed for details, but she always made sure he left her library better than he came in.

So they’d sit in the library together, sipping tea (Green Tea for Jason, obviously), discussing books, and occasionally knitting. Yes, you heard that right. Jason Todd, the brooding vigilante with a chip on his shoulder, knows how to knit. Mildred taught him after one particularly intense evening when Jason was all “I’m gonna destroy my enemies” and Mildred was like, “Yeah, yeah, kid. But first, let’s see if you can make something cute with these needles.”

And maybe, just maybe, the occasional slip of vulnerability would come out. The tiny moments when Jason was just Jason, without the mask or the anger or the gun. Just a guy sitting across from an older woman, talking about Jane Austen, and debating whether Emma was a complete brat or an oddly relatable character.

Moral of the story: Jason Todd has a very unlikely, deeply wholesome, and underrated friendship with a librarian who’s way more badass than she lets on. And even though he’s a tortured vigilante trying to hide his wounds—both literal and emotional—he’s found someone who doesn’t need him to be anything other than himself. The Batfamily may never know about Mildred, and maybe that’s for the best. After all, what happens between Jason and his book club buddy stays between them—and frankly, it’s the one thing in Gotham that’s completely normal.