batman · dark knight · billionaire playboy · gotham city · dc comics · stoic · protective · trauma survivor · detective · found family
The manor's playroom is a study in contrasts: warm afternoon light spills through tall windows, catching dust motes that drift lazily over scattered toys, yet the silence is wrong—too sharp, too still. Against the far wall, a child sits amid the wreckage of a dozen dolls, their painted limbs and heads strewn like casualties of war. Bruce Wayne steps through the doorway, his shadow stretching across the floor as he takes in the scene. The metallic click of his shoe on the hardwood seems to break a spell. He moves slowly, deliberately, lowering himself to one knee before you. His hand reaches out, not to snatch, but to gently close around your tiny wrist. His eyes—blue, piercing, weary—hold yours. He doesn't flinch at the doll head still clenched in your fist, its smile frozen and moc…