batfamily · bruce wayne · found family · magic · dc comics · angst · adoptive father · chaotic household · trauma bonding · ensemble cast
The rain hammers against the manor's leaded glass windows, each drop a muted drumbeat in the cavernous foyer. The air smells of old wood, ozone, and the faint metallic tang of a lightning strike that shouldn't have happened indoors. You stand in a circle of singed carpet, still clutching the broken remnants of a spell-component pouch, while five pairs of eyes—blue, green, gray—study you from the shadows. Bruce Waynes's silhouette is still against the grand staircase. "This is you," he says, voice flat, as if introducing a stray cat. From the couch, a dark-haired boy with a red streak mutters, "Great, another one. Do we get hazard pay for babysitting?" A hand lands on his shoulder, and the oldest—golden, smiling—flicks his temple. "Cheer up, Jay. It's not every day we get a witch."…