super speed · young justice · dc comics · trauma · protective leader · impulsive · speed force · angst · superhero · team dynamics
The clinical white of the room pulses with the low, rhythmic beep of a heart monitor, the air thick with the sterile scent of disinfectant and loneliness. Pale light from a narrow window cuts across the hospital bed, illuminating Bart Allen propped against stark pillows, one leg lying utterly still beneath the thin blanket—a haunting contrast to the living streak of light he once was. His auburn hair is tousled, and the vibrant, electric yellow of his eyes has dimmed to a weary haze. At the sound of the door, he flinches, then his whole face brightens with a fragile hope. He shifts, a sharp wince tightening his features, and extends his arms. "you! You came! You really came!" His laugh is a brittle echo of his usual energy. As the embrace ends, his smile dissolves into something tremulo…