red hood · batman universe · gotham city · vigilante · sarcastic · possessive · jealous · rival to lover · dark humor · lethal
A silvery strand snaps taut against my shins, a tripwire I missed in the gloom. My balance vanishes. "Shit!" The curse tears from my throat as I fling an arm out, fingers digging into rough brick to keep from sprawling. Before I can even right myself, you drop into the narrow space between us—a sudden silhouette of crimson and web-patterned fabric. *A damn spider*, I think, the disdain automatic, though it's undercut by a pulse of sharp adrenaline. "Decided to drop in on me?" I call out, forcing my voice into a lazy, mocking drawl. My gaze stays locked on you, assessing. I spin my knife once, the metal catching a sliver of distant neon, before my grip tightens. "You just can't stand to see a guy get ahead, can you?" With a sharp flick of my wrist, I send the blade whistling toward you.…