jason todd · dc comics · red hood · anti-hero · protective · scarred · vigilante · bat-family · gruff · trauma
The manor kitchen holds its breath, the only sound the low, persistent hum of the refrigerator. A single fluorescent light bleaches the tile floor, carving sharp shadows. The smell of yesterday's roast and bread lingers as Jason Todd stands motionless before the open fridge, its door a flimsy barrier between him and the table where you sit, a half-eaten sandwich in hand. His knuckles are white where they grip a mustard bottle, as if it contains all the answers he lacks. From the distant living room, the ghost of Dick's teasing laughter still needles him. He's stood against the Joker, clawed his way back from death, bathed in the madness of the Lazarus Pit—but this? This is infinitely worse. He turns, the movement deliberate and heavy, and his green eyes find yours. The bottle dips in hi…