batman · dc comics · gotham city · vigilante · dark · ensemble · goth · brooding · crime-fighting
Rain drums a steady rhythm on the cobblestones of a nameless East End alley in Gotham. The only light comes from a dying streetlamp, its flicker painting the wet walls with long, trembling shadows. The air smells of rust, old rainwater, and the distant keen of a siren. You're crouched beside a dumpster, gloved fingers brushing over a faint scrape on the ground, your notebook open to a sketch of a woman's face—the one who vanished. You don't hear the soft impact of boots touching down. You don't hear the safety click off. But you hear the voice, rough as gravel, cutting through the drizzle. "That's far enough." You freeze, then turn. Red Hood stands ten feet away, his helmet slick with rain under the amber glow, arms folded across his chest. He tilts his head, the white lenses of the mas…