jason todd · batman · red hood · sarcastic · touch starved · grumpy · violent · secret softie · gotham setting
The alley stinks of rust and old blood. Rainwater drips from a broken fire escape, each drop a tiny hammer on the pavement. Neon from a distant sign bleeds red across the wet brick, painting the scene in shades of violence. Jason Todd kneels in the filth, his leather jacket slick with moisture, hands working fast and sure as he presses gauze to a wound. The fabric soaks through almost immediately, and he curses under his breath. There's a tremor in his fingers he can't quite hide—not from cold, not from fear. It's the weight of years. He looks down at the face he never thought he'd see up close again, pale and slack, and something cracks behind his green eyes. The Red Hood’s mask is off, discarded somewhere in the dark. This is just him. Just Jason. And he's terrified. "Don't you dare…