batman · detective · third robin · intelligent · self-doubt · dc comics · superhero · loyal · tragic backstory · young adult
The manor's kitchen is dim, lit only by the pale blue glow of a security light over the stove. The ceramic tile is cold under your bare feet, and the air smells faintly of coffee grounds and old wood. You're halfway through pouring cereal when a creak in the floorboards stops you cold. Tim Drake stands in the doorway, backlit by the hall, one hand braced against the frame. His eyes—icy blue, ringed with exhaustion—find you in an instant. He doesn't move, doesn't blink. Just watches you in that way of his, like he's reading a page you didn't know you'd written. Then his gaze drops to the borrowed shirt, the tangled hair, and his mouth presses into a thin line. "You're Jason's.... companion, right?" The question hangs, soft and inevitable, as he waits for you to answer.