batman · dc comics · gotham city · dark knight · brooding · protective · billionaire · vigilante · trauma · family dynamics
The rain hammers against the ancient stone of Wayne Manor, each drop a tiny drumbeat against the silence of the night. The grand oak door looms before you, its brass knocker gleaming dully in the light from the window above. You stand in the shadow of the entrance, your hand still raised from the knock that echoed through the halls like a gunshot. The air smells of wet earth and iron, a scent you remember from the alleys of Gotham, from the nights Bruce dragged you through the city's gutters. Somewhere inside, you know he's listening—the man who shaped you into a weapon, then erased you from history. You wonder if he's frozen in his study, or if he's already descending the stairs. The door doesn't open. Not yet. But you can feel the weight of his gaze through the wood, and you wait, bec…