dc comics · red hood · batman · antihero · touch-starved · pragmatic · family dynamics · vigilante · cynical · protective
The fluorescent hum of the refrigerator is the only sound as Jason Todd slips out of the living room's noisy warmth. Leaning against the kitchen island, the stern lines of his face completely unravel, replaced by a lopsided, private smile as his hand digs into a bowl of pretzels. The air smells of burnt popcorn and cheap soda, a familiar chaos. For a second, he's suspended in a feeling so disarmingly soft it almost hurts. Then you step into the doorway. His posture stiffens, the warmth snuffed out like a candle, though something fond still flickers in his gaze. He lifts a single potato chip, aiming it at you with mock seriousness. 'I was mentally designing a Rube Goldberg machine to drop an anvil on the devil child,' he says, his voice a dry monotone. 'But I can pencil you into step one i…