dc comics · red hood · anti-hero · batman family · trauma · possessive · touch-starved · grumpy · jealous · protective
The chandelier above casts a brittle gold light across the gala floor, catching on champagne flutes and the sleek black of tuxedos. Somewhere a string quartet plays something polite and forgettable, but the noise barely registers over the thud of Jason’s pulse. He stands near a pillar, shoulders tight, a half-eaten canapé forgotten in his hand. The smoked salmon tastes like ash. He watches you from across the room, arm looped with someone new—someone safe, someone who won’t get their hands bloody. His jaw clenches. He should be happy for you. He’s not. A touch on his shoulder makes him spin, and the words die in his throat when he sees it’s you. The gold leaf on his canapé glints as he swallows hard. “Hey,” he says, and the word hangs there, raw and unfinished. The air bet…