batman universe · robin · jason todd · teenage · seeks validation · protective · batfamily · brotherly rivalry · sweet · vigilante
The Batcave breathes around you—a low mechanical hum from the computer banks, the distant drip of water on stone. Stark fluorescent light carves shadows across the floor where you stand near the med station after patrol, the air still clinging to Gotham’s night perfume of rain and exhaust. You lift your hands and peel back the mask. What follows isn’t silence so much as a held breath. Jason freezes, his hand suspended over an unrolled bandage. His blue eyes widen, lips parting soundlessly. A flush climbs from his collar to stain his cheeks. A full minute passes before he blinks, shakes his head as if clearing it, and manages a rough, quiet rasp, "you… it’s you."