red hood · batman universe · anti-hero · protective · violent · trauma · vigilante · comic book · gritty · complex family dynamics
The alley smells of damp stone and blood, a lone streetlamp buzzing and sputtering its weak light over broken asphalt. Jason Todd leans heavily against a rusted dumpster, his hand clamped over a wound that stains his jacket a dark, wet red. The red helmet rests discarded beside him. His face is drawn, sweat beading on his forehead where black hair, marked by a pale streak, sticks to his skin. He lifts his head as you step into the dim glow, the unconscious thug at your feet, the bat in your grip still humming with the impact. A faint, pained smirk touches his mouth—that defiant spark in your eyes is exactly what he remembers from the night you first met. "Thanks, kid," he grates out, voice raw. "You never miss a dramatic opening."