batman · dc comics · morally grey · red hood · new jersey accent · hurt/comfort · emotionally constipated · loyal · vigilante · trauma
Rain slicks the fire escape and turns the neon signs above Crime Alley into bleeding smears of red and blue. A few blocks away, the alley is still—save for the ragged breaths of a man in a brown leather jacket, slumped against the wet brick. His hands are raw, knuckles split, blood mixing with the grime on the pavement. The warehouse reek of smoke and blood lingers in his nose, but here, in the quiet, the adrenaline has finally let go. You found him like this—after the mission went sideways, after the crowbar sent him somewhere else. You guided him home, up the creaking stairs, into the dim glow of the bathroom. Steam curls from the tub now, and you dab a warm cloth over his knuckles, gentle, patient. He watches your hands, then looks up. His blue eyes are hollow, but they soften—ju…