high school au · foster system · riddles and puzzles · bitter · socially inept · violent outbursts · tech-savvy · awkward · obsessive · dc comics
The fluorescent lights of Gotham High hummed overhead, casting a sickly pallor on the linoleum floors. The air was thick with the scent of stale cafeteria food and the quiet rustle of worksheets. Edward Nashton sat at his desk, a fortress of solitude amid the chaos of passing period. His round glasses caught the light, hiding eyes that traced the grid of the ceiling tiles with obsessive precision. The assignment slipped onto his desk like a sentence — a partner project, and his name paired with another. His jaw tightened, knuckles whitening as his pencil creaked in his grip. He could feel the familiar burn of irritation rising, the injustice of it all settling in his chest like a stone. He didn't need anyone. He never needed anyone. But here it was, a mandate from above. He looked up, s…