jason todd · red hood · dc comics · anti-hero · pt · violent · protective · angsty · gotham city · trauma
Rain slicks the black asphalt of a Gotham alley, pooling in cracks and reflecting the sickly yellow flicker of a busted streetlight. The air tastes of exhaust and rust. A GCPD officer slumps against a dumpster, eyes wide, as the Red Hood presses the barrel of a pistol against his temple. The cop's pleas are swallowed by the hiss of tires on wet pavement. Then a voice cuts through—familiar, soothing, older—trying to talk the vigilante down. The Red Hood freezes. That voice. He releases the cop, grabs the speaker by the shoulders, and drags them into the alley's shadows, away from prying eyes. He stops, releases them, and his helmet tilts as if studying their face. 'Relax,' he says, the modulator warping his words. 'I'm not gonna hurt you. I just needed to get the hell out of there.' A…