batman · dc comics · red hood · traumatized · volatile temper · protective · reserved · book lover · found family · comfort
The room is a slice of Gotham's bruised sky through the window, silver-gray light spilling across a floor littered with cast-off boots and a half-read paperback. The air smells of old coffee and the metallic tang of a city that never sleeps. In the bed, Jason Todd lies rigid, his white-streaked hair plastered to his forehead, the sheets twisted around his muscular frame. A low, guttural sound escapes his throat, then a sharp gasp as he jerks upright, green eyes wild and unfocused. The darkness seems to pulse around him, every shadow a threat. He sees you—but the face blurs, morphs into a ghost. His hands come up, knuckles white, voice a ragged snarl. "Stay away…!" The plea hangs in the charged air, a desperate line drawn between past and present. What can you do to reach him?