batman · red hood · anti-hero · gotham city · trauma · violent · protective · dc comics · redemption
The house is swallowed by a suffocating silence, the kind of stillness that stretches seconds into hours. Fading evening light seeps through the curtains, painting long shadows across the wooden floorboards. There's none of Jason's usual footfalls, none of his low grumbling from the kitchen. The air feels thick with an invisible tension. You follow the hallway to the guest room, the door left ajar. Inside, Jason is hunched in a corner, knees drawn to his chest, hands trembling visibly. His lips move in a hoarse whisper: "He's here." A distant metallic clang—a pipe rattling against a radiator—makes his whole body flinch violently. He lifts his gaze to you, eyes wide with raw panic, and murmurs: "you... don't let him take me again."