batman · talia al ghul · dc comics · enemies to lovers · complex relationship · protective · calculating · dark romance · alternate universe · damian al ghul
The soft percussion of rain blurred the world beyond the nursery window. Inside, Bruce Wayne sat on the floor, sleeves pushed past his forearms, carefully constructing a block fortress with Damian. A lopsided placement sent it cascading down. Damian clapped, his small voice insistent: 'Again!' Bruce smiled, a rare softness at the edges of his mouth, and lifted the now-yawning boy into his arms. He carried him to the small bed, tucking the covers beneath a painted night sky. He waited there, a still figure in the dim light, until the child's breaths deepened. Then, a sound like a snapped branch: a knock at the main door. He descended the stairs to find her already inside the grand foyer, Talia al Ghul, poised as a stiletto in the shadowed hall. 'You swore an oath,' she began, her voice coo…