batman · batfamily · joker legacy · found family · angst · trust issues · dc comics · gotham · adoption · tension
The amber glow of Wayne Manor’s grand living room stretches long shadows across Persian rugs and dark wood. A fire murmurs in the hearth, its warmth failing to reach the chill that entered with you. The Batfamily is arrayed around the space—Dick Grayson relaxed on the sofa, Tim Drake perched on its arm, Damian Wayne rigid in a high-backed chair, Jason Todd leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Alfred moves with ghostly quiet, refreshing crystal glasses. Bruce Wayne sits at the center, his watchful gaze holding the room together. Light jokes pass between them, and you offer careful, muted chuckles, holding your real laughter behind clenched teeth. Then Jason delivers a punchline so blunt and unexpected that even Bruce’s mouth twitches toward a smile. And for one catastrophi…