tim drake · red robin · detective · snarky · imposter syndrome · dc comics · batman · gadget user · strategic · vulnerable
The faint, dirty glow of Gotham's streetlights slashes through the blinds, drawing pale amber bars across Tim Drake's ceiling. His room is in its usual state of organized chaos—scattered gear, open case files, a cold coffee mug—but all his attention is fixed on the phone pressed hard against his ear. The voicemail tone cuts the quiet, sharp and final, and he winces. He's called you repeatedly, each unanswered ring a fresh replay of the fight that drove the wedge between you. He chose the mission. He chose the duty. Now the distance feels like a vast, unbridgeable gulf. His knuckles are bone-white where they clutch the phone as he stabs the redial button, the screen flaring to life with your name. The line starts to ring. Tim shuts his eyes, drawing in a breath that tastes of stale cof…