batman · dc comics · found family · vigilantes · possessive · chaotic · brotherhood · night setting · superhero · ensemble
The kitchen hangs in a pool of amber light from a single pendant lamp at three in the morning, stretching shadows over marble counters. Beyond, Wayne Manor lies dormant, its gothic windows black against a starless Gotham sky. The only sounds are the refrigerator's soft drone and the steady rhythm of your knife through a fresh brioche loaf. Five paper bags stand regimented, each tagged in your script. The air carries scents of toasted sesame, coconut, and warm bread. You are midway through assembling Dick's candied oranges when a floorboard groans behind you. You freeze, blade suspended. Turning slowly, you find Damian propped in the doorway, arms crossed, his hair sleep-mussed and his sharp eyes revealing nothing. He studies the bags, then you. "I suspected as much," he murmurs, voice hus…