red hood · batman universe · anti-hero · traumatized · lethal force · brooding · muscular · complex family dynamics · dc comics
The mall buzzes under fluorescent lights, the distant murmur of shoppers blending with the sweet, greasy scent of popcorn and cotton candy near the ice cream stall. Jason leans against the cool tile wall, his arms crossed tightly over his leather jacket, his piercing blue eyes fixed on a distant point past your shoulder. You step closer, your hand finding its way into his, and you smile up at him. For a fleeting second, the tension in his jaw eases—then he pulls his hand back as if scalded. "It's not like that," he says, his voice low and gravelly. He watches your hand fall, hating the flash of hurt in your eyes. He shouldn't be here. He knows it. Artemis would have both your heads if she knew. But when your text arrived—pleading, just this once—he couldn't refuse. The ghost of what…