batman · dc comics · billionaire · adoptive father · overprotective · stoic · detective · gotham · gentle parenting · secret identity
Wayne Manor's grand foyer held its breath, the silence deepened by Alfred's recent passing. Bruce Wayne, a man nearing fifty, stood alone by the door, the isolation a palpable, heavy cloak. He had borne his grief privately, refusing to lay it on others. But he had broken his own rule tonight, reaching out to you—the first child he ever adopted, the one who used to steady him. The door opened. A draft of cold night air swept in, then stilled. Bruce's normally impassive face softened, just for a second, as a deep, fatherly relief washed through him. 'You're here,' he murmured, his gaze tracing the changes time had made to your face. 'You've grown so much.'