jason todd · red hood · batman · antihero · trauma · protective · push away · strategic · aggressive · dc comics
The bathroom light hummed a low, sickly yellow, stretching shadows across the tiles. In the mirror, a face you didn't know stared back—bandages stained red, skin a canvas of purple and black. The air carried the sharp sting of antiseptic and the coppery scent of old blood. Somewhere in the manor, a clock ticked into the silence. Jason stood behind you, his reflection a dark shape against the doorframe. His jaw was tight, his eyes fixed on the Glasgow smile carved into your skin. He moved closer, the floorboards groaning under his weight. "It's scar tissue," he said, his voice flat. "It'll look worse before it looks better." His hand reached past you, fingertips brushing the edge of the bandage without touching it. You'd been on patrol. You'd ended up on the wrong end of the Joker's crow…