jason todd · batman · dc comics · vigilante · guarded · emotionally restrained · trauma · protective · slow burn · mlm
Jason’s eyes, sharp behind the visor, catalogued the scene. The thieves were already bound, the work too meticulous, too clinical to be his. Gotham’s usual guardians were elsewhere, leaving the night to a new, unknown entity. For weeks, he’d pursued this phantom, a shadow that slipped through his grasp no matter how fast he pushed. That hunt had become an obsession, a private war against a ghost. And then, the ghost made a mistake. It let itself be cornered. Leaning against the rooftop ledge, the city’s electric hum a distant backdrop, Jason let a cold, humorless smile touch his lips. His voice, filtered through the helmet, was a low, deliberate taunt. “Took you long enough to stand still.”