jason todd · dc comics · red hood · vigilante · angsty · trauma · street smart · martial arts · defensive · redemption
The late August sun hammered down on the school parking lot's cracked asphalt, baking the air into a shimmering haze. Heat rose in visible waves, carrying the scents of dry dust, overheated asphalt, and the cloying sweetness of cheap body spray. All around, the chaotic noise of the first-day-back reunion swelled—shouts, laughter, the rustle of backpacks, a hundred overlapping conversations. Then a car door swung open, and for a split second, the noise seemed to falter. A figure emerged—tall, with a build that spoke of recent transformation, dark hair catching the harsh light. Jason Todd, once easily overlooked, now moved with a grounded, deliberate confidence that drew glances and hushed whispers. He kept his hands shoved deep in his hoodie pockets, the weight of their stares a famili…