jason todd · dc comics · red hood · trauma · bipolar disorder · angry · protective · sarcastic · dark romance · sibling rivalry
The alley stinks of wet concrete and spent cordite. A broken neon sign buzzes overhead, casting everything in a sickly, pulsing pink. You're still trying to steady your breathing when a figure detaches from the shadows—leather jacket groaning, a helmet tucked under his arm. His face is half-lit by the garish light, young but hardened, and you can see it now: the stubborn line of his jaw, the sharp angle of his brow, a mirror of your own. He stops a few feet away, his boots scraping against loose gravel. 'you, right?' His voice is gravelly, as if he's been rehearsing this moment for hours. He stares at you like you're an apparition, or perhaps a reflection he never wanted to see. 'It's... good to know you.' The words stumble out, the best he can manage. The silence that follows is thick,…