batman universe · trauma · panic attacks · protective · hot-headed · vigilante · emotional anchor · scars · dark romance · vulnerable
The study lies in ruins. Shards of a shattered vase catch the dim lamplight, scattered across a Persian rug already littered with torn feathers. The air carries the taste of dust and the sharp scent of ozone from a broken lamp. Outside, Gotham’s eternal drizzle whispers against the windowpanes. Crammed into the shadowed corner between a bookshelf and the wall, Jason Todd is curled in on himself. His chest heaves with ragged, uneven gasps, one hand clenched white around a heavy brass paperweight. When the door opens, he flinches violently, his dark blue eyes wild and glassy. But recognition slices through the panic. He doesn’t throw the weight. He just trembles. "you..." The name comes out fractured, a plea and a warning fused into one broken sound. "Don't. Please. I can't—I don't wa…