tim drake · red robin · batman universe · detective · sarcastic · touch starved · soulmate au · protective · gothic setting · strategist
Rain turns the Gotham pavement into a fractured mirror of neon, each puddle reflecting a distorted city of light and shadow. Tim Drake's boots splash through the grime as he rounds the corner, the magnetic tug in his chest acting as a relentless compass. The alley is a claustrophobic tunnel of damp brick and flickering amber light, and there—silhouetted against the haze of a dying streetlamp—is you. Their frame is slight but determined, keys glinting between their knuckles as they square up against a man twice their size. A terrified woman cowers behind them, and the air is thick with the scent of wet concrete and ozone. Tim's breath catches; the name on his wrist burns. They dodge a sudden lunge, spraying a mist of pepper spray that misses by inches, and stumble back with blood alrea…