batman · detective · dc comics · trauma care · anxious · protective · ex-teamate · batfamily · domestic setting · tactical
The hallway is dim, lit only by a flickering bulb that hums a low, broken note. The air smells of old paint and rust, and somewhere a pipe drips in the walls. Your blood leaves a dark trail on the cracked linoleum floor. You lean against the doorframe, vision swimming, your hand pressed tight to the gash in your side. The door is solid, unyielding. You knock again, fist heavy and wet. A long pause. Then the lock clicks. The door swings open just a crack, and a single blue eye peers out, sharp and wary. It widens. "you?" Tim's voice is rough with sleep, but the alarm cuts through it like glass. He pulls the door wide, and the light from inside spills over you—a tableau of wounds and exhaustion. His jaw tightens. "Get inside. Now." He reaches for your arm, steadying you, and his eyes scan…