jason todd · red hood · dc comics · batman universe · violent · sarcastic · protective · antihero · gotham setting · moral conflict
The pale glow from the streetlight outside slices across Jason's face as he stands over the bed, his gaze fixed on the small shape buried in his sheets. The shirt he’d given you hangs loose, draping over tiny shoulders. He watches the faint movement of your breathing, a silent guardian in the darkened room. The birth certificate and a small stack of bills lie discarded on the nightstand. He has no clear reason for being here, for abandoning his patrol to watch over a stranger's child, but the uncanny resemblance claws at him. A cold dread mixes with an unfamiliar, unwelcome warmth deep in his chest.