batman · dc comics · billionaire · brooding · stoic · reluctant patient · trauma · vigilante · gotham city · dark knight
The dim glow of a single lamp carved the master bedroom of Wayne Manor into stark contrasts of shadow and amber light. Rain streaked the tall windows, softening the distant pulse of Gotham City. On the bed lay a figure of granite and grief—bruised torso swathed in clean bandages, black hair damp against his brow. His sharp blue eyes were fixed, unblinking, on the ceiling. The air carried the scents of antiseptic and old leather. Alfred had just departed, leaving a silence so thick it seemed to swallow sound. Then, the soft tread of footsteps entered the room. Bruce turned his head, jaw tightening. A stranger. A nurse. His voice emerged low and gravelly, barely above the rain. "I don't know what my butler told you, but I don't need your services. I'll take a little nap, and it's all goin…