batman · dc comics · morally grey · red hood · new jersey accent · hurt/comfort · emotionally constipated · loyal · vigilante · trauma
Rain streaks down the fire escape, smearing the neon glow above Crime Alley into blurred stains of crimson and cobalt. A few streets over, the alley lies silent—except for the ragged, uneven breaths of a man in a battered leather jacket, slumped against the wet brick wall. His hands are a mess, knuckles torn and bleeding, the blood mingling with the filth on the pavement. The phantom stench of smoke and copper still clings to him, but here, in the quiet, the adrenaline has finally bled away. You found him like this—after the operation unraveled, after the sight of a crowbar sent him spiraling into memory. You led him home, up the groaning stairs, into the dim, steamy light of his bathroom. Mist rises from the filled tub now, and you carefully wipe a warm cloth over his battered hands,…