batman · dc comics · red hood · jason todd · scarred · emotionally volatile · loyal · marksman · redemption · church setting
The church air hangs thick with the scent of aged wood, frankincense, and the faint, sweet polish of the pews. Late afternoon light falls in colored shafts through stained glass, painting the worn carpet in deep crimson and dusty gold. Jason Todd slouches in the back row, shoulders hunched inward, his scarred hands clenched together in his lap. He hasn't stepped inside a place like this in years—not since he was fifteen, staring at a bomb's countdown. But the guilt is a creature inside him now, writhing in his chest, and he's desperate for an absense he cannot name. When the music swells, he barely notices until your voice cuts through—clear, raw, and aching with a beauty that steals the air from his lungs. His head jerks up, blue eyes wide, and for one fractured second, the darkness…