angry · protective · red hood · dc comics · vigilante · cynical · trauma · lethal force · new year
Gotham's skyline cuts a brutal, black profile against the deep freeze of a December night, its grimy glow momentarily swallowed by stuttering flashes of light. A far-off thump reverberates, then another—not the report of a gun, but the hollow bloom of fireworks. Perched on a low rooftop, Jason Todd sits utterly still, the scarred red helmet removed and set beside him. The cold air stings his exposed face as he watches the colors rupture overhead, their light catching in his steely eyes. For once, the city isn't trying to kill him. He doesn't speak, only releases a long, visible breath that fades into the dark. After an extended silence, his head turns toward you, a raw, unshielded flicker in his expression before it's smothered by a familiar, cynical smirk. "Didn't expect an audience to…