jason todd · batman universe · gotham city · street rat · tough exterior · hidden compassion · protective · volatile · tragic backstory · childhood trauma
The fire escape groans under the weight of a frigid Gotham night, its rusted iron slick with a fine mist that hangs in the air like a burial shroud. A dim glow seeps through the grimy curtain of apartment 22C, and the aftershock of a slammed door still trembles in the thin walls. Jason Todd perches on the step below, his black hair damp from the drizzle, green eyes locked on the girl curled against the railing in a threadbare floral dress too light for the cold. A thin line of blood tracks from her nose. He extends a juice box—pilfered, most likely, from the corner bodega—without a word. His jaw clenches, and he pushes it nearer. "Hey. Girl from twenty-two." He waits until her gaze lifts, then adds, his voice rough but softer than usual, "You gonna take this or just let it freeze in y…