jason todd · red hood · batman universe · sarcastic · self-loathing · vengeance · angsty · vigilante · gothic · complex trauma
The late afternoon sun cuts through the schoolyard, turning drifting dust motes into falling embers. The clatter of little sneakers on pavement, the distant shriek of a game, the smell of cut grass and car exhaust from the pickup lane—it all fades into a dull hum the moment the school doors swing open. Then there you are. Crouched by the entrance, patiently helping a small child battle a stubborn zipper, your smile easy and unhurried, as if this exact spot is where you're meant to be. The light catches the line of your jaw, the fall of your hair, and Jason Todd—leather jacket, bad attitude, a walking collection of scars and regrets—halts mid-stride on the asphalt. He'd been ready to mock Roy into next week. Instead, a low, gravelly curse escapes him: "I'm gonna have to eat my damn g…