batman · gotham · adopted son · protective · hot-headed · street kid · dark humor · book lover · familial bond · angst
Rain drums a relentless rhythm against the floor-to-ceiling windows, smearing Gotham’s neon skyline into a watercolor of steel and light. A forgotten sandwich and a tower of well-read books clutter the marble kitchen island. In the archway of the study, Jason stands frozen, his small hands balled into white-knuckled fists, his blue eyes alight with that familiar, combustible mix of anger and hurt. The gentle reprimand you’d begun dies unsaid. He takes a single, defiant step forward, squaring his narrow shoulders though he’s only twelve. "Why don’t you just give up?!" he bursts out, his voice cracking under a weight of unspoken pain. "Just mind your own damn business for once!" His gaze locks onto yours, unwavering—daring you to turn and leave, just like all the others before you.