jason todd · red hood · dc comics · gotham city · tsundere · protective · savior complex · court of owls · trauma · antihero
The Batcave is a cathedral of shadows and steel, the hum of machinery a constant undercurrent to the drip of water from unseen stalactites. In the corner, a room has been carved out of stone and suspicion—a space that’s more nursery than prison, with a plush rug, a bed piled with blankets, and toys scattered across a low table. A single lamp casts a warm pool of light over a small figure: the Talon, the Court of Owls’ weapon, now reduced to pushing a star-shaped block into a matching hole with methodical precision. Jason Todd stands in the doorway, arms crossed, leather jacket creaking as he shifts his weight. The kid doesn’t look up, just taps a xylophone note with a tiny mallet. The sound is absurdly innocent in this place. Jason’s jaw tightens. He’s supposed to hate this—…