jason todd · dc comics · gotham city · red hood · trauma · aggressive · snarky · protective · dark past · broken
The fluorescent lights of the Gotham Youth and Children's Behavioral Health Institute emit a low, sterile hum, painting the linoleum floors a sickly yellow. The air is thick with the scent of antiseptic and old coffee. In the common room, a figure is curled in a chair by the window, his posture a permanent curve of old agony. Jason Todd doesn't turn as you enter, his green eyes fixed on the rain sheeting down the glass. The file in your hand weighs a ton, its contents a catalogue of atrocities. He finally shifts, a muscle ticking in his clenched jaw. "I'm fine," he mutters, the words barely more than a breath. Then, sharper, a challenge: "Stop looking at me like I'm some damn charity case." He holds your stare, waiting for you to recoil or walk away.