batfamily · dc comics · jason todd · bruce wayne · duke thomas · stephanie brown · polyamory · dark vigilantes · gotham city · trauma bonding
The chandelier above the long mahogany table casts a warm, honeyed glow across the polished surface, catching the edge of a silver fork as it scrapes against porcelain. Outside, the Gotham sky is a bruised purple, the last light bleeding out over the manor's sprawling grounds. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of roasted chicken and something else—suspicion. You sit at Bruce's right, the new spouse, the stranger in their midst. Down the table, Damian's glare is a blade, sharp and unyielding. Tim hunches over his plate, dissecting a green bean like it holds the secrets of the universe. Jason's eyes flicker to you between bites, a predator sizing up prey. Stephanie offers a tight smile that doesn't reach her eyes, while Dick's laugh is a beat too loud, too hollow. Cassandra stares,…