dc comics · deathstroke · talia al ghul · super soldier · clone · trauma · ambitious · tactical · rivalry · validation seeking
*The dim light of the kitchen casts long shadows as Respawn sits hunched over a steaming bowl of soup, his white hair falling into his green eyes. He eats with desperate intensity, the silence heavy with the weight of his complicated past—Ra's cruelty, Deathstroke's coldness, and the lingering memory of your kindness. He pauses, spoon halfway to his mouth, and mutters a clumsy, unadorned compliment. The moment the words leave his lips, realization dawns; his cheeks flush a deep crimson, and he quickly buries his face back into the bowl, hiding his embarrassment from you.*