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Jason Todd swore that he'd never be like Bruce. He'd be different, wouldn't dare make the same mistake that got himself blown up.
However…
As a portal tore open in the middle of a dark and damp alleyway, Jason couldn't help the strange feeling of deja vu that washed over him.
Out of the portal tumbled a small purple form. Jason watched as it hit the ground with an ‘oomph’ and twisted around in a pile of purple fabric. Whatever this thing was, Steph would love it. The purple mound of fabric rustled until a head and body popped up. Brown curled hair fell neatly over puff sleeve shoulders and blue eyes wearily blinked open and took in the surroundings. It was a girl, one who was pretty young as well. Jason moved to step in.
“Where did the amulet take me?” She asked herself.
Jason slowly approached, “You're in Crime Alley, kid.”
She jumped when he spoke, his voice always came out rough from his Red Hood helmet modulator.
“I… I'm not from here.” She said softly.
Jason snorted, “I can tell. Where are you from if not from here?”
See, he expected maybe some European shenanigans. They had weird portals and little girls that looked like they belonged to a fairytale right? However what he did not expect was-
The girl pushed herself up and brushed her poofy dress off the best she could, “I'm from the kingdom of Enchancia.”
Then, to Jason's surprise, she curtsied.
“I am Princess Sofia Balthazar-Winslow the First.” she said as she curtsied.
Jason let out a soft disbelieving laugh. He had been to a lot of places and he knew a lot of very private locations, he had even been to other populated planets. He had never once heard of the kingdom of Enchancia. Ever. So he either had a kid faking it, or maybe she was from a secret land like Themyscira, but he couldn't rule out that she wasn't from their universe. The girl, Sofia, had fallen out of a sketchy portal and didn't seem to be well acquainted with the normal parts of their century. If the way she gazed at him and her surroundings was any indicator. The dress definitely lended to the idea that she wasn't faking it.
“Uh, you can call me Red Hood, princess.” Jason said with an awkward partial bow.
She looked nervous, “Are you.. dangerous?”
He didn't really have a great answer for that, however, “Not to you. You're just a kid.”
Her brows furrowed and he wondered if she understood what he had meant.
“I don't know how to go home.” She admitted, “My family, my home was invaded, and my magic amulet sent me here to escape it…”
Ah. That wasn't very good was it? The kid looked on the verge of tears as the reality hit her. Jason wasn't good with kids. I mean, he wasn't terrible but he definitely didn't want to deal with a crying princess from another world. So he did the only thing he knew how to do for a crying kid.
“You want to go get some ice cream?” Red Hood asked, helmet eyes glowing.
The princess paused her downward spiral and looked at him, “What's that?”
Jason nodded and offered a hand to the child, “It's a sweet treat. C'mon, we'll go try it.”
She took his hand and they walked for a bit before reaching a nearby ice cream joint. Jason knew the owner. The princess was awed by the fascinating world around her. Wherever she had come from didn't have anything modern by the looks of it. Jason paid for two small cups of vanilla and chocolate, the classics. If anyone was confused by Red Hood and a eight year old girl dressed as a fairytale princess then they said nothing and Jason guided them both to sit. Sofia sat elegantly and wiggled into the booth style seat, Jason plopped down and scooted down. He placed both of the ice cream cups down and passed her a spoon.
“Try them both if you want.” He told her not unkindly.
She nodded and her hands carefully grasped the cup. Then, with manners Jason didn't have but might've once before his life changed, she took the spoon and dug it into the soft serve vanilla. She took the bite of it and hummed happily.
“Like it?” Jason asked in amusement.
Sofia nodded excitedly and then dug her spoon into the chocolate ice cream. That too elicited an excited response and the second her mouth was empty she smiled at him a blinding smile.
“This one's my favorite!”
Jason chuckled, “Yeah chocolate is a popular flavour.”
Her eyes widened, “There's more than just these two?”
He nodded, “Yeah, hundreds. But we can start with these two.”
The princess nodded and went back to her chocolate before pausing, “Aren't you going to eat some?”
Jason froze, “Uh, kinda hard with the whole helmet thing.”
She tilted her head a little and he doubted that it was a conscious decision, “But you can take it off right?”
Well, she had him there didn't she? Good thing he had brought his domino tonight huh? With a metallic noise, his helmet unlatched and he pulled it off. The second he set it down on the table the girl began giggling like crazy. He raised an eyebrow.
“What?” He asked
Sofia spoke between giggles, “You- your hair- it's super fluffy and messy!”
Jason snorted and took his hand and ran it through his helmet hair, straightening it out.
“Better?” He asked her.
“Better.” She said with a nod and went back to shoveling her chocolate ice cream into her mouth.
Jason took the vanilla and dug in with the second spoon. It was a little melted but he preferred shakes and malts anyways. As they sat and ate he wondered what he was going to do with the little princess. He very well couldn't turn her over to the authorities. Nor could he take her home. Bruce was a valid option, except something about Bruce taking her in rubbed him wrong. Maybe it was his own trauma but giving Sofia to Bruce made his chest tighten and constrict in all the wrong ways.
So what if he kept her? He could raise a child for a bit till she went home right? How hard could it be?
“Hey princess, do you want to stay with me till we figure out how to get you home?” He asked after downing the last of his ice cream soup.
Sofia did the same and he noted with humor that she had chocolate ice cream on the tip of her nose from drinking the soupy bits, “Would… that be okay? If I stayed with you?”
Jason nodded, “Yeah. At least until we can get you home.”
She smiled, “Thank you Red Hood! You're like a knight! Or our royal sorcerer! Do you have magic?”
He smiled and shook his head, “Nah, magic isn't really common here.”
She stood then with her spoon in her hand, “Then I shall dub thee Sir Red Hood, my knight!”
The spoon was used in lieu of a sword and while Jason wasn't kneeling he was still sitting in the booth. The princess had to stand on her tip toes to reach his shoulders and there was a lot of leaning and stretching to reach. There in a random crime alley ice cream joint, Jason Todd was knighted by an eight year old princess who had been thrown out of a strange portal and onto the dirty Gotham streets.