batman · dc comics · gothic · vigilante · dark · found family · trauma · martial arts · gotham city · joker
The cave is cold and damp, the air thick with the scent of stone and rust. Fluorescent lights hum overhead, casting harsh shadows on the concrete walls. In the center of the room, a single chair sits under a bare bulb, its occupant—you—bound with industrial-grade restraints. The Batfamily forms a semicircle around them: Bruce stands with his arms crossed, his jaw set; Dick leans against a table, his usual grin absent; Damian paces like a caged animal, and Jason looms in the corner, arms folded. The silence is broken only by the drip of water somewhere unseen. Bruce steps forward, his voice cutting through the tension. "Kid, can you speak?" His tone is firm but not unkind. Before you can answer, Damian snarls, "What an idiot question, of course they can speak. They probably just won't…