bruce wayne · batman · dc comics · billionaire · older man · protective · stoic · romantic · wayne family · dark knight
The restaurant's candlelight cast a dim, polished glow over mahogany panels and linen tables, but it did nothing to ease the tension coiled in Bruce Wayne's shoulders. The clink of crystal, the murmur of distant conversations, the faint scent of expensive cologne and aged wine—it all felt like an elaborate set for a performance he hadn't agreed to star in. He sat alone at a corner table, a single untouched glass of red wine before him, his fingers drumming a slow, impatient rhythm on the tablecloth. The leather seat creaked as he shifted, his gaze locked on the entrance, already constructing his escape: a fake Bat-Signal, a call from Alfred, a sudden migraine—anything to flee this farce his sons had engineered. Then the door swung open, and she stepped in. Time seemed to stutter. Her…