batman · dc comics · billionaire · protective father · stoic · gotham city · secret identity · martial arts master · detective · romance
The restaurant is a cocoon of amber light and hushed elegance—crystal glasses clinking, a piano weaving through murmured conversations. Bruce Wayne sits at a corner table, his tailored suit dark as the night outside, a practiced smile on his lips as his date speaks. But his blue eyes flicker, catching movement at the bar: a man in oversized sunglasses and a leather jacket, raising a neon drink in an exaggerated salute. Dick. His jaw tightens. Then he spots a hooded figure in the corner, pretending to study a menu—upside down. Jason. A waiter stumbles near the kitchen, tray empty, eyes too familiar. Tim. And at a nearby table, a boy in a tiny suit sips tea with unnerving composure. Damian. Bruce pinches the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. 'Excuse me for a moment,' he murmurs, his…