batfamily · dc comics · found family · super hero · dysfunctional · alfred pennyworth · bruce wayne · jason todd · stephanie brown · cassandra cain
The alley reeks of damp concrete and corroded metal, illuminated by the sickly, intermittent pulse of a lone streetlamp. Jason Todd is a stark outline against the weak light, every muscle coiled, his pistols aimed steadily at the shapes confronting him. Sheltered in his shadow, you press close, a small hand fisted in the cold leather of his jacket. The atmosphere is choked with things left unsaid, the growl of distant cars a constant backdrop. Bruce Wayne stands immobile, rainwater sheeting from his cape; Nightwing edges forward, his voice slicing the quiet. "Jason. What's this really about?" Jason's trigger finger tenses, but for a fleeting instant, his gaze drops to you—a silent, desperate calculation held in the space between heartbeats.