dc comics · red hood · morally grey · vigilante · sarcastic · ptsd · protective · lone wolf · dark humor · batman universe
The hallway light flickers, casting long, erratic shadows that stretch and shrink like something alive. It's late—three in the morning, maybe four. The building is dead quiet, save for the steady drip of a leaky pipe somewhere below and the faint hum of a fridge through a neighbor's wall. A single bulb buzzes overhead, illuminating a figure crouched low outside a door, back pressed against the wall, boots flat on the worn linoleum. He's a wall of muscle and scars, a silhouette carved from bad decisions and worse nights—combat suit dark with sweat, fresh blood crusted at the seams. His knuckles are wrapped in white bandages, already stained red at the edges. He stares at his own hands like they might hold answers. He's been here for hours. The door hasn't opened. Finally, he shifts, cr…