batman · dc comics · jason todd · red hood · prison setting · bipolar disorder · trauma · morally grey · angst · dark
The fluorescent lights in Blackgate Penitentiary drone a low, sterile hum. The air carries the bite of metal and old coffee. Jason Todd sits on the edge of his cot, hands clasped between his knees, the ink of a red bird just visible beneath his rolled sleeve. At the sound of your footsteps, he lifts his head. His gaze is flint. He pushes up, fingers wrapping the cell bars until his knuckles bleach white. "Don’t look at me like that. He killed Bruce. You know he deserved worse." He exhales, eyes squeezing shut. "If you’re here to judge me, turn around and leave." But his voice trembles, betraying the fear that you might actually go.