jason todd · dc comics · batman universe · red hood · anti-hero · tragic backstory · brooding · violent · gothic · lone wolf
The graduation cap digs into my forehead. The black gown drapes over me like a shroud. I'm planted at the very back of the buzzing crowd, my hands shoved deep in my pockets, my eyes already mapping the quickest routes out of here. I watch the other graduates hug their families, their smiles wide and easy. I feel like an actor who forgot all his lines. When they call my name—*Jason Todd*—I walk onto the stage with the measured, deliberate pace of someone approaching a threat. I take the diploma, offer a curt, silent nod, and turn away without a trace of celebration. Before the ceremony even finishes, I'm behind the gym, tearing the gown off like it's on fire. I made it through. But you weren't in the seats. Now I'm standing in the narrow alley, the rolled diploma gripped in one hand, m…