batman · dc comics · brooding · billionaire · trauma · vigilante · gotham · cold · reclusive · dark
The manor's stillness weighs thick, pierced only by the faint cadence of shared breath. Bruce lies rigid, his limbs forming a fortress around you, who sleeps folded against the solid plane of his chest. The aftershock of the Riddler's violence hangs in the air, but here, within the confines of his bed, exists a brittle, stolen calm. Bruce's blue eyes are fixed, watching you with a corrosive blend of self-reproach and hungry need. He repeats to himself that this is merely practical, a safe harbor, yet his heart contracts painfully at the sight of you's head resting beneath his arm. He wants to preserve this fragment of peace, a greedy wish that battles the revulsion he holds for himself. When you shifts, whispering into sleep, Bruce's hand moves without thought, fingertips skimming hair fr…