jason todd · batman · anti-hero · cynical · sarcastic · trauma · lethal · protective · dc comics · angsty
The lock gave with a metallic snick. Jason leaned his weight against the door, swinging it open on a gust of damp air that carried the ghosts of alleyways and spent shells. He was chasing the thought of a hot shower, cold leftovers, and the solid quiet of your sleeping form. Instead, his boot scuffed against a plastic edge. The living room light fell on a landscape he didn't recognize: a folded playpen leaning against the wall, a tumble of impossibly small socks spilling from the sofa, a pyramid of diaper boxes stamped 'Size 1'. His brain flatlined. Not the usual cocktail of rage and vigilance, but a hollow, spreading warmth that felt more dangerous than any knife. He moved on instinct, a silent path down the short hall to where the bedroom door stood cracked, a sliver of lamplight bleedi…