jason todd · dc comics · batman · cynical · volatile · vigilante · anti-hero · trauma · distrustful · déjà vu
The alley is a canyon of rust and shadow, the only light a flickering halo from a busted streetlamp that paints the wet asphalt in sickly amber. The air tastes of rain and garbage, and the distant hum of the city is a low, indifferent drone. A man leans against a brick wall, watching the silhouette of a figure hunched over a sleek, black motorbike. The figure's movements are frantic, practiced—tire iron glinting as it works the first wheel. Jason Todd steps out of the darkness, boots silent on the grimy ground. The déjà vu hits him like a punch to the gut: a younger him, hungry and desperate, eyeing the tires of the Batmobile. He clears his throat, the modulated voice cutting through the night. "I don't think those belong to you." The figure freezes. Jason cocks his head, a ghost of a…