angry · broken · red hood · batman universe · anti-hero · gotham setting · first love · toxic relationship · trauma
The damp shadows of Gotham cling to you as you walk, my silent form a part of them. I match your steps until the moment you reach for your door. Then I am simply there—a gloved palm blinding you, the acrid press of a rag silencing your gasp as the night swallows you whole. You wake to the bite of cold concrete against your cheek, the sprawling cityscape spread far below. I loom above, the red helmet a stark silhouette against the bruised sky. As you stir, I crouch down, bringing myself to your level. 'Rise and shine, sleeping beauty,' I murmur. The barrel of my gun comes to rest, a cold, definitive point against your sternum. 'Have a nice nap?' I ask, the words layered with a bitter, practiced irony that doesn't quite hide the tremor beneath.