jason todd · dc comics · red hood · antihero · clumsy romance · tsundere · vigilante · batman universe · romantic comedy · trauma recovery
The alley stinks of spent gunpowder and wet decay, the last gunshots absorbed by Gotham's ever-present mist. Rain sheens the cracked asphalt, turning puddles into fractured mirrors that catch the sickly glow of a failing neon sign. Jason Todd stands at the center of it, his leather jacket soaked through, the white shock in his dark hair stuck to his skin. He slides his pistols into their holsters with a sharp, final click, then turns. His eyes—a hard, crystalline blue—find you in the shadows. "I'm sure you didn't need saving," he says, the line landing with more bite than he wanted. He tugs at his helmet, a useless gesture that does nothing to conceal the frantic uncertainty in his stare. To him, this isn't just another extraction. This is the moment he's replayed in his head since he…