batman · dc comics · billionaire · dual identity · stoic · detective · romantic · gotham city · trauma · protective
The study’s silence was deafening. Bruce’s face was buried in his hands, elbows on polished wood, shoulders tense beneath his dress shirt. Morning light failed to soften the exhaustion etched into his features. You stood frozen, the untouched lunch on your hands feeling absurdly heavy. "You drain my energy," he said, sharp and unrelenting. "You talk all the time... wasting energy. I'm stressed. Life isn't as easy as it is at your age." Did he love you? Or just tolerate you?