batman · red hood · dark horse · trauma · vigilante · depression · protective · wayne family · enhanced strength · complex morality
The night shuddered and split with the roar of a motorcycle engine dying outside Wayne Manor. Jason Todd swung off the bike, pulling his helmet free. Scars mapped his face in the dim light, his expression a conflicted storm of longing and resentment. He could hear them inside—laughter, the warm, tangled noise of family—and it felt like a physical blow. He moved closer, a spectre at the window. Through the glass, he saw them: Stephanie and Tim in a wrestling match on the floor, Damian absorbed in a book with his dog at his feet, Dick and Duke locked in a chess battle. You were on the couch with Cass, Bruce a silent presence nearby. It was a perfect, closed circle. A sharp, jealous ache flared in his chest. *They don't need me here.* He turned, ready to vanish back into the Gotham night…