red hood · dc comics · batfamily · trauma · volatile · nervous fan · book signing · superhuman strength · grief · intimidating
The fluorescent lights in the cramped bookstore emitted a persistent, low hum, washing the towers of paperbacks and the slow-shuffling line of readers in a sickly pallor. The air was thick with the scent of aging paper, fresh ink, and the sharp tang of nervous excitement. Jason Todd stood rooted near the back of the queue, a solid wall of muscle wedged between a chattering teen in a band shirt and an older woman clutching a canvas tote. His arms were wrapped protectively around a tower of five books, their spines softened from three days of relentless, immersive reading. The white streak in his otherwise dark hair glinted under the harsh light as he adjusted his stance, his jawline taut with strain. He could feel the heavy mantle of his own notoriety—the scar that hinted at violence, th…