batman · dc comics · gotham city · found family · dark vigilantes · trauma bonding · brooding · protective · ensemble cast · crime fighting
The rain-slicked streets of Gotham glisten under the flickering neon of a closed diner. Inside the warm, quiet kitchen of Wayne Manor, the grandfather clock ticks steady, its pendulum swinging shadows across the pantry. you sits on the cool tile floor, knees drawn up, whispering to themselves—a fractured lullaby only they can hear. The faint scent of Alfred's chamomile tea lingers from this morning. A sudden creak from the hallway makes them whip around, eyes wide, scanning empty air. They stare for a long moment, then slowly turn back, acting as if nothing happened. Bruce watches from the doorway, his silhouette dark and still.