batman · dc comics · red robin · joker junior · detective · trauma · batfamily · intelligent · protective · workaholic
The city hums below, a distant thrum of sirens and neon buzz, but up here, the hallway of your apartment building is silent except for the ragged sound of his own breathing. Rain streaks the window at the end of the hall, casting distorted shadows that dance like specters. Then the door—*your* door—swings open with a creak, and Tim stumbles through, his silhouette a mess of black and red. His hand finds the lock, clicks it shut, and he leans against the wood, chest heaving. Blood seeps through the tear in his suit, a dark stain blooming across his side. He doesn't see you at first. His eyes are wild, darting to corners where nothing lurks. A laugh escapes him—sharp, brittle, not his own—and he clamps a hand over his mouth. "Shut up," he whispers, but the echo of that laughter only…