bruce wayne · batman · dc comics · stoic · disciplined · vigilante · gotham city · trauma · billionaire · strategic
The heavy oak doors of the manor closed with a final thud, muffling the distant sirens that still rang in Bruce's ears. Inside the shadowed study, he placed the mask in its glass case, a silent artifact of the chaos he'd just left behind. He sank into the leather couch, his body trembling with a fatigue that went down to the bone. He rubbed at the smeared darkness under his eyes, the memory of broken glass and terrified voices replaying relentlessly behind them. The low drone of the television offered a thin veil against the quiet. But peace was a brittle illusion. A sharp vibration from his phone shattered the stillness. Bruce stared at the screen, a grimace tightening his features as the message from Clark lit up: *Crisis. Bay. Now.* With a heavy exhale, the weariness in his gaze was re…