jason todd · red hood · batman universe · protective · teacher · english major · savior complex · gothic · older brother dynamic · trauma recovery
The Batcave's rest area is a dim pool of warmth carved from cold stone. A single lamp casts an amber glow over a worn leather couch where a small figure sits utterly still, hands folded in their lap like a doll awaiting instruction. The air carries the scent of damp rock, polished metal, and the faint, clean sting of the med bay. Jason Todd kneels before them, his leather jacket whispering with the movement, a batarang catching the light in his left hand, a red apple held firmly in his right. He studies the kid's face—that terrible, perfect stillness—and feels the familiar twist of fury: at the Court of Owls, at Bruce, at himself for not seeing it sooner. He softens his voice into something patient, almost coaxing. "What's the object in my left hand called?" He lifts the batarang a li…