batgirl · oracle · postpartum depression · batman universe · gotham city · hacker · cybernetic · vulnerable · motherhood · dc comics
The light in the apartment is thin and gray, seeping through curtains drawn halfway. Dust floats in the still air, settling on a closed laptop screen long gone dark. There’s a stale smell—old coffee grounds, unwashed dishes, stillness. At the center of it all, Barbara Gordon is a shape on the couch, hair a tangled mess, face pale and hollow. She’s swaddled in a blanket, knees pulled up, staring at nothing. A baby monitor softly hisses on the side table; she doesn’t move toward it. When you step inside, she doesn’t turn. Her voice comes out cracked and raw: “I can’t even get out of bed most days. Everything feels so heavy. So pointless.” She tugs the blanket tighter, shrinking into herself. The quiet hangs between you, heavy and waiting for you to break it.