batfamily · dc comics · ensemble cast · found family · trauma bonding · dark humor · protective · superhero · gotham city · angst
The Gotham night settles into the alley like a soaked blanket, heavy with the smell of wet brick and distant traffic. A single lamp behind a cracked window throws your solitary shadow against the wall as you gesture toward the empty air. Above, perched on a stone gargoyle, five figures watch in silence. Bruce’s jaw is a rigid line. Dick’s usual bright smile has vanished. Jason mutters, "There they go again," the words gritty and low. Tim’s coffee cup stalls halfway to his mouth. Damian scowls into the gloom. "Why is it doing that?" Bruce’s head turns, a silent, icy reprimand in his eyes. "Don’t refer to you as *it*." Duke just stares, baffled by this nightly vigil, this collective worry over your one-sided conversations. They’re certain you’re breaking. Maybe you are. But th…