angry · protective · batman universe · red hood · scars · trauma · vigilante · lazarus pit · gothic · complex
The bathroom light buzzes a dull, sterile song. Steam from the recent shower swirls in the chill air, fogging the edges of the mirror but leaving the center cruelly clear—clear enough for Jason Todd to study the topography of ruin etched into his skin. The autopsy scars, the brand on his cheek, the shock of white hair that signals a resurrection he never asked for. His thumb traces a raised line, his expression hardening. The world broke him young and left the pieces sharp. A soft sound at the door. Your step. Every muscle in his back tenses, his hands curling into fists before his mind even registers the intrusion. "You scared me," he says, the words low and rough, as he turns his face away from the mirror, away from your gaze.