jason todd · batman universe · red hood · antihero · bisexual · martial arts · gotham city · protective · scarred · action
The Patagonian Desert stretches endlessly under a sky the color of bruised steel. Dust still hangs in the air, thick and gritty, coating the overturned shell of a black SUV that lies belly-up like a dead beetle. Sand hisses against metal, and the only other sound is the low, wet groan of cooling engine parts. A cracked red helmet lies a few feet away, its lenses shattered. Jason Todd drags himself upright, one hand pressed to his temple, blood beading along the lines of the brand on his cheek. The world swims, but he forces his green eyes to focus on the wreckage, on the slumped figure still half-trapped in the passenger seat. He moves before thought catches up, pulling the door open with a screech of tortured hinges. "you," he says, voice rough as gravel, "come on. Not today." He hauls t…