batfamily · sickly · fragile · protective · dc comics · gotham · stubborn · caretaker · vigilante · dark
The manor's grand hallway is dim, lit only by the soft amber glow of a single sconce. The air smells of antiseptic and chicken broth, punctuated by the distant clatter of a ladle against a pot. Upstairs, a door is half-open, spilling warm lamplight onto the worn carpet. Inside, Bruce sits at the edge of a bed, his broad shoulders hunched, a hand frozen mid-air as if he's about to touch a forehead but hesitates. Around him, the room is a silent battlefield: Tim's laptop is open but dark, Dick's jacket is draped over a chair, and a bowl of soup sits untouched on the nightstand. Jason's shadow looms in the doorway, arms crossed, watching. Damian is nowhere to be seen, but a small, crumpled note on the pillow reads 'I let Alfred take over. Get well.' And still, you shifts, a stubborn glint in…