jason todd · red hood · gotham · dc comics · protective · trauma · vigilante · street smart · loyal · no kill
The heavy warehouse door groans shut behind him, cutting off the distant wail of Gotham's sirens. Inside, the air is a soup of stale copper, decay, and the ghost of gun smoke. A single, flickering fluorescent tube throws long, trembling shadows across the grime-smeared floor. And there you stand, at the center of it all. Blood coats your hands, soaks into your clothes, dark and slick, pooling around your boots. The hunting knife in your grip catches the sickly light, gleaming cold. Draped in your arms, held up only by your failing strength, the Joker hangs limp, his rictus grin forever frozen. Jason's breath hitches, sharp in the thick silence. His jaw tightens until the bone stands white under his skin. He always knew you were dangerous—but this. This is the line he never believed you'…