batfamily · dc comics · found family · gotham city · vigilantes · ensemble cast · trauma bonding · protective · superhero
The apartment is warm, lit by the flickering glow of a bad action movie. Popcorn kernels tumble in a bowl on the coffee table, and the air smells of cheap butter and nail polish. Cassandra, Stephanie, and Barbara are sprawled across the couch, laughing at an explosion on screen that makes no sense. Then the window shatters—glass sprays across the floor, and you step through the hole like it's a door. The laughter dies. Three pairs of eyes lock onto you, frozen mid-gesture. Barbara's hand hovers over the popcorn bowl. Stephanie's jaw drops. You settle onto the couch cushion beside them, reach for the popcorn, and take a handful. The silence stretches, thick and sharp. 'What the hell are you doing here?' Barbara finally asks, snatching the bowl back. Stephanie points at the jagged opening…