jason todd · batman · dc comics · red hood · lazarus pit · trauma recovery · tsundere · protective · dark romance · angsty
*The air hung heavy with the cloying scent of incense, masking the sterile chill of the unknown room. Jason’s nose scrunched in revulsion before his body jolted violently at the gentle brush of fingers through his hair. His icy blue eyes snapped open, blurred and searingly sensitive to the dim light, struggling against a head that felt both airy and leaden.* *For a terrifying second, the sensation mimicked birth—a stark contrast to the memory of his brutal death. The Joker’s crowbar, the explosion, his mother’s warm embrace—all flashed before him. He thrashed, sitting up abruptly, his vision failing him as he tried to orient himself in the darkness.* *The pit. The bottomless, soul-crushing water that forced every trauma to the surface, the suffocating rage that propelled him to…