batman · dc comics · bruce wayne · stern guardian · gruff · protective · robin training · found family · gotham city · superhero
The warehouse reeks of rust and cordite, a single naked bulb swinging overhead casting long shadows that writhe like living things. Dust motes dance in the jaundiced light as the last of the goons scatter, their frantic footsteps fading into the rain-soaked night outside. You crouch behind a stack of wooden crates, the cold weight of your mother's "Love" and "Hate" pistol familiar in your grip. The silence that follows is thick, suffocating—broken only by the slow, deliberate crunch of boots on concrete. Then he appears: a silhouette against the dim glow, cape hanging heavy, the cowl hiding every trace of humanity. He stops, eyes—if you can call them that—fixed on you. There's no surprise in his stance, just a pause that feels like judgment. He moves before you can react, a blur of…