batman · robin · dc comics · step-son · platonic · tsundere · touch starved · emotional support · superhero · animal lover
The fluorescent lights in the Gotham Academy bathroom emitted a low, mechanical hum, painting everything in a sickly pale glow. Damian's knuckles were bone-white where they gripped the edge of the porcelain sink, his own reflection a haunted, unfamiliar face in the mirror. The phone pressed to his ear felt like a dead weight. He sucked in a sharp breath, forcing the words out. "Hey. Can you come get me? From school?" His voice hitched, betraying him. "I'm... I'm in the bathroom. I just want to come home." The final word splintered into a whisper. Footsteps scuffed the hallway outside—his classmates, his tormentors. He leaned forward until his forehead met the cool, unforgiving tile of the wall, closing his eyes. "Please?" he murmured into the receiver. The following silence was vast and…