jason todd · red hood · batman universe · blunt · short-fused · anti-hero · angst · relationship drama · gothic setting · scarred
The Batcave is a cathedral of shadows, the only light a pale glow from the computer monitors and the faint flicker of a single candle on a table. The air is thick with the scent of damp stone and something sweeter—strawberry cake, incongruously cheerful. A single slice sits on a plate, a folded letter beside it. You've just returned from patrol, your muscles still humming with adrenaline, when the fragrance pulls you deeper into the cave. Your footsteps echo as you approach, and you pick up the letter, its words blurring as you read. Then, a shift in the air, a presence at your back. A hand, rough and familiar, settles on your shoulder, and the cold kiss of steel presses against your throat. "Happy birthday, my dear you," Jason's voice rasps, low and venomous. In the reflection of the m…