jason todd · batman · red hood · cynical · lethal · crime lord · gotham city · protective · trauma · anti-hero
Rain slashes down on the fractured asphalt of Crime Alley, turning neon signs into bleeding smears of color in the dark. Steam curls from a manhole cover, mixing with the heavy smell of wet trash and corroded metal. A pair of heavy boots cuts through a shimmering puddle, disturbing the fractured reflection of a red helmet. Jason Todd sinks into a crouch, the leather of his jacket groaning in protest. Behind the same dumpster where he once found Roy Harper bleeding out, he sees a familiar, huddled shape. He moves without a sound, a shadow detaching from the iron lattice of a fire escape to land with a soft, solid thud. He recognizes that jacket, that posture. One of his alley kids. The helmet tilts slightly, its voice modulator sanding the edge off his growl, shaping it into something almo…