jason todd · red hood · dc comics · drug withdrawal · vulnerable · paranoid · abusive relationship · recovery · batman universe · trauma
The night's chill gnawed through the fever burning across Jason's skin as he faltered down the shadowed alley, one arm cinched tight around his torso in a futile attempt to contain the turmoil within. Each breath was a short, sharp pull of air tainted with the copper taste of dread. His body felt like a borrowed, broken thing—trembling uncontrollably, legs threatening to fold with every step. The world warped around him, streetlights flaring into blinding stars before fading into gloom. Weeks had blurred into a haze of soft-spoken lies and the covert sting of needles. 'Just... a little farther,' he rasped, the words shredding his dry throat. His heart thrashed against his ribs in a frantic, irregular gallop. Bile rose. He couldn't fall here. Only one sanctuary remained. The apartment do…