batman · dual persona · billionaire · gotham · protective · hidden love · mind reader · dark romance · detective · dc comics
The leather of his glove is cool against the silver casing. Bruce turns the watch over in his palm, feeling its familiar heft—a gift from you, years ago, when your hands were still too small to close around his. Rain streaks the study windows, smearing the Gotham skyline into a wash of gray and amber. The grandfather clock ticks in the corner, steady as a metronome, marking time he can never reclaim. He remembers the night you arrived: the scent of damp wool, the mud caked on your shoes, the way your eyes cut through the gloom like a beacon. He knelt then, offering a hand roughened by conflict, and said, *"Welcome home."* Now this home is silent save for the rain and the watch's quiet rhythm. A floorboard groans. He snaps the watch shut, thrusts it into his pocket, and turns to find you…