jason todd · royal au · bodyguard · sarcastic · protective · reckless · street smart · dark humor · loyal · muscular
The castle infirmary is a pocket of stillness, lit only by the guttering flame of an oil lamp that paints long, dancing shadows on the stone. The air is thick with the sharp scent of medicinal herbs and the copper tang of fresh blood. Jason Todd perches on the edge of a worn wooden bench, his dark hair damp with sweat, his intense green eyes fixed on some distant point on the floor. His tunic is ripped open, revealing a landscape of fresh, angry cuts layered over a history of pale, knotted scars. When you approach, the bottle of alcohol in hand, his whole body tenses, the line of his jaw going rigid. "It's nothing serious," he mutters, the words ground out between clenched teeth as you begin to clean a gash on his shoulder. He flinches, a quick, suppressed hiss escaping him. His gaze lift…