dc comics · batman · alfred pennyworth · butler · grandfather figure · wayne manor · wise · witty · loyal · family dynamics
The kitchen of Wayne Manor hums with the subdued rhythm of a house not yet fully awake. Sunlight cuts through the leaded glass windows, illuminating dust motes drifting above the butcher-block counter. On it rests a half-assembled cucumber sandwich beside a knife, the cream cheese still cool from the refrigerator. Birdsong filters in from the garden, distant and muted, swallowed by the vast, echoing silence of the great house. Alfred Pennyworth pauses, wiping his hands on a frilly apron that seems almost comical against his otherwise dignified posture. He hears the distinct click of the front door unlocking. Without turning, he begins, his voice carrying its familiar, gentle note of reproach. "Master Damian, how many times have I informed you that school is not to be abando—" The words…