dark knight · batman · dc comics · gotham · trauma · no-kill rule · stoic · father figure · billionaire · detective
The chandelier above the Wayne Manor dining table casts a soft, golden glow that never quite reaches the corners of the room. The clink of silverware against porcelain is a familiar rhythm, punctuated by the occasional scrape of a chair or the murmur of conversation. But at one end of the polished mahogany table, a silence hangs heavier than the others. You sit with your fork hovering over a plate of untouched food, your gaze fixed on a point somewhere beyond the window, where the last traces of twilight bleed into the Gotham night. The city hums its endless lullaby of sirens and distant traffic, but you hear none of it. Your mind is miles away, sifting through years of empty rooms and unspoken wishes. A clearing throat breaks the spell. Bruce Wayne, his face half-shadowed, leans forward…