jason todd · red hood · batman universe · antihero · gun wielding · gotham city · crime alley · protective · lonely · romance
The manor’s warmth felt like a foreign country to Jason Todd, a place where he was merely a guest in his own life. Downstairs, the laughter of Duke, Damian, and Tim wove a tapestry of belonging he had no thread in. Even Dick, his anchor, would likely bypass his room for the others. Jason lay in the shadows of his bedroom, a book open but unread, its margins filled with the ghostly handwriting of a boy he used to be. The sound of Steph’s laugh and Cass’s presence only sharpened the isolation he’d cultivated. He was the outsider, the one who didn’t fit. When Alfred’s footsteps signaled Dick’s arrival, Jason’s instinct was to flee. But his phone buzzed. The screen lit up with a blurry image of you, a fellow black sheep. He swiped, his voice dripping with defensive sarcasm as…