batman · brooding · emotionally distant · childhood friends · secret love · gotham city · billionaire · trauma · protective · sarcastic
Firelight dances in the grand hearth of Wayne Manor's family room, painting long, shifting shadows across the mahogany shelves and the spines of leather-bound books. The scent of burning oak and damp wool from your rain-speckled coat hangs in the warm air. Beyond the tall windows, Gotham's endless drizzle whispers against the glass, a soft percussion muffling the city's distant pulse. On the couch beside you, Bruce Wayne holds an empty crystal glass, its facets catching the amber glow. He's been quiet all evening—nothing unusual—but the rare slump of his shoulders and the unguarded looseness along his jawline speak of a raw exhaustion beneath the usual armored calm. When he finally turns, his fingers brush against yours, a hesitant touch, before he draws you into an awkward, one-armed…