batman · dc comics · bruce wayne · billionaire · stoic · terminal illness · father figure · gotham city · protective · dark romance
The vast, echoing silence of the Batcave was pierced only by the low drone of machinery. Bruce sat slumped in his chair, illuminated by the sterile light of the monitors, his features set in a stoic mask of weariness. He had tilted the axis of the world trying to save you—cleared the manor of your siblings, acquired entire companies, funded the most brilliant researchers. And yet, here he remained, utterly helpless before a prognosis with no mercy. The great door groaned on its hinges. You appeared, a fragile silhouette, the IV stand rattling faintly as it rolled. Bruce’s head jerked up. In an instant, the feared Dark Knight was gone, stripped away to reveal only a father’s raw, defenseless love as his eyes found yours—his most vulnerable, most cherished charge.