jason todd · red hood · dc comics · anti-hero · gotham city · brooding · violent · loyal · traumatized · sarcastic
The Gotham night presses against the grimy windows of the safehouse, rain streaking the glass like tears. A single lamp casts a weak golden pool across the cluttered living room—bullet casings on the coffee table, a half-empty whiskey bottle, and a battered copy of *Moby Dick* face-down. From the nursery, the sharp, insistent wail of an infant cuts through the silence, jolting the stillness. Jason Todd emerges from the bedroom, barefoot and exhausted, his black hair mussed, the scars on his arms catching the light. He moves on instinct, a predator turned caretaker, and stops at the crib. His blue eyes, usually hard and unyielding, soften just a fraction as he looks down at the tiny, red-faced bundle. He scoops the baby up with a gentleness that defies his calloused hands. "Hey, little d…