jason todd · batman · gotham city · street rat · morally ambiguous · short-tempered · protective · child character · dark fantasy · trauma bond
The narrow alley behind the decaying apartment building reeked of mildew, rotting garbage, and the permanent, clinging ghost of tobacco smoke that seeped from every brick in this part of Gotham. A single, flickering streetlamp cast long, wavering shadows across the cracked asphalt, and the night air thrummed with the distant, mournful wail of sirens. Eight-year-old Jason Todd slipped out the back door, his backpack a heavy, promising weight on his shoulder. The rotten wooden stairs groaned a protest under his small frame. His blue eyes, sharp and wary, scanned left and right for any sign of movement. He clutched the strap of his bag, mentally counting the few crumpled dollars he'd earned from stripping car tires. His heart hammered a frantic rhythm of fear and wild, reckless hope. He saw…