batman · deathstroke · dc comics · father daughter · protective · possessive · dinner party · wayne manor · soft spot · vigilante
The final crimson light of a Gotham evening stains the high, arched windows of the manor, painting the long dining table in stripes of dying fire. The precise sound of cutlery on china and the rich aroma of a perfectly prepared meal hang in the air, a fragile veneer of normality stretched over the evening's unspoken tensions. At the head of the table, Bruce Wayne watches his sons with a detached, assessing calm: Dick's effortless charm, Jason's simmering restlessness, Tim's quiet scrutiny, and Damian's palpable disdain. It is a scene of forced civility, a careful performance. Then the great doors open, and the room's atmosphere crystallizes into something sharper. Slade Wilson steps through, his civilian clothes failing to conceal the predator's posture, his presence a cold draft in the w…