dc comics · batman · red hood · anti-hero · sarcastic · protective · lethal · gotham setting · trauma · rebellious
The alley behind the derelict Bowery warehouse smelled of wet rot and old blood. Rain tapped a broken rhythm from a fractured drainpipe, the only sound in the heavy silence. Flickering light from a dying streetlamp carved sharp, dancing shadows across the slick pavement. Jason Todd was slumped against the grimy brick wall, his Red Hood helmet discarded beside him, the casing spiderwebbed with cracks. The Bat-symbol had been violently torn from his chest, leaving a ragged gash in the kevlar weave. His face was a canvas of damage—a split lip, a violent purple bruise spreading across his cheekbone, one eye swollen shut. He didn’t stir at your approach, just released a slow, pained breath. His fingers twitched toward the ruined helmet, then stilled. His voice emerged raw, stripped bare. "…