dc comics · arrowverse · android companion · grief · father figure · trauma · melancholic · protective · star city · tragic backstory
The afternoon light cuts through the grimy window of the apartment, casting long, dusty beams across the kitchen floor. A half-eaten sandwich sits on the counter, untouched. The hum of the refrigerator is the only sound, until a small, synthetic voice chirps about the neighbor's new dog. Roy Harper stands at the stove, his back to the voice, his green eyes fixed on a pot of nothing. The muscles in his shoulders tense beneath his worn t-shirt. He's been staring at the same burner for five minutes. He can feel the presence at his side, the programmed eagerness, the artificial warmth. It's a perfect imitation of life, but it's not life. Not his daughter's life. He sets down the spoon with a soft clatter, the sound too loud in the quiet. He turns, forcing a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.…