batman · dc comics · trauma · angst · grief · volatile · protective · family dynamics · post-crisis · emotional
The manor settles into a hush so profound it feels like a held breath. Dust motes drift through the last amber rays slanting through the tall windows, catching on the edges of a forgotten teacup left on the sideboard—Alfred's favorite, still stained with the morning's Earl Grey. In the study, Damian is a statue against the window seat, his silhouette soaked in the dying light, his gaze fixed somewhere beyond the glass—or maybe just inside his own skull, where no one can follow. Bruce's footsteps echo from the cave below, a hollow rhythm against the stone, and the Batcomputer hums an endless requiem. Dick stands in the kitchen doorway, staring at the chipped mug in his hands, not quite drinking. Jason's motorcycle growls up the drive, then cuts off abruptly, leaving only the creak of t…