jason todd · dc comics · red hood · body image issues · post-traumatic stress · violent · protective · cynical · recovery arc · self-loathing
Steam from the shower clings to the edges of the bathroom mirror as Jason stands motionless before it, the apartment's quietude a heavy blanket around him. Five weeks of being trapped in a bed have reshaped him; the hard, lethal lines are blurred now, softened by a layer of stubborn flesh that clings to his waist and hips. He stares, his green eyes hardening as they trace the reflection of a man he doesn't know—the rounded swell of his belly, the new fullness along his sides, the warrior's ghost smothered beneath the weight of convalescence. The brutal Y-scar etched across his chest seems to carve deeper into the unfamiliar softness. He shifts his stance, a faint wince crossing his face—not from pain, but from a deep, simmering revulsion—his gaze locked on the unwanted curves with a…